Category Archives: Robotics

The club TECH of Katy and its VEX IQ robotics team The InVEXibles were named the VEX IQ Challenge Middle School World Champions at the 10th annual VEX Robotics World Championships in Louisville, Kentucky. With coachCoach John Pixton in the back row are Jack Vultaggio, 12; John Patrick Pixton, 12; and Aiden Quinton, 11; front row: Michael Pixton, 10; Ben Vultaggio, 9; and Ethan Quinton, 9. less The club TECH of Katy and its VEX IQ robotics team The InVEXibles were named the VEX IQ Challenge Middle School World Champions at the 10th annual VEX Robotics World Championships in Louisville, Kentucky. With ... more Photo: TECH Of Katy At the Maker Fair, they're trying out their first robot Gears of Fear in a VEX robot skills challenge. From left are Ethan Quinton 9; Jack Vultaggio 12; John Patrick Pixton 12; Ben Vultaggio 9; Aiden Quinton 11; and Michael Pixton 10. less At the Maker Fair, they're trying out their first robot Gears of Fear in a VEX robot skills challenge. From left are Ethan Quinton 9; Jack Vultaggio 12; John Patrick Pixton 12; Ben Vultaggio 9; Aiden Quinton ... more Photo: Catherine Pixton

Experimenting with new robot designs for Worlds competition are, from left, Ben Vultaggio, Michael Pixton, Jack Vultaggio, Ethan Quinton, John Patrick Pixton and Aiden Quinton.

Experimenting with new robot designs for Worlds competition are, from left, Ben Vultaggio, Michael Pixton, Jack Vultaggio, Ethan Quinton, John Patrick Pixton and Aiden Quinton.

Working on improving design and build of the original robot, "Gears of Fear" are, from left, John Patrick Pixton, Ethan Quinton, Aiden Quinton, Jack Vultaggio, Ben Vultaggio and Coach John Pixton.

Working on improving design and build of the original robot, "Gears of Fear" are, from left, John Patrick Pixton, Ethan Quinton, Aiden Quinton, Jack Vultaggio, Ben Vultaggio and Coach John Pixton.

Young Katy robotics team earns world championship

Organized only last fall, the VEX IQ robotics team of the Technology and Engineering Club for Homeschoolers of Katy returned home in April from the 2017 VEX Robotics World Championship in Louisville, Kentucky as VEX IQ Challenge Middle School World Champions.

The success is nice but a surprise, according to John Pixton, coach of the InVEXibles robotics team. The computer/software engineer explained that the club began with the goal to gather everyone together to learn how to build a robot and how to program it.

The 9 to 12-year-olds belonging to the club "were pretty much self-motivated to keep improving," said Pixton, who's worked with Scouts and coached basketball but was making his initial venture into robotics.

"We did competitions not really thinking too much about that (winning) because we were new. We didn't have that mind-set; it did not occur to us. We kept improving and kept moving up."

They were surprised after they started entering matches and kept coming out on top of other teams, he said. Club members are 12-year-olds Jack Vultaggio and John Patrick Pixton; nine-year-olds Ben Vultaggio and Ethan Quinton; Aiden Quinton, 11, and Michael Pixton, 10.

Catherine Pixton, a homeschool mom for about eight years, explained her oldest son wanted to learn about technology this year and that was one of the catalysts for forming a team and building a robot. The robotics club involves the Pixtons and the oldest sons of two other homeschool moms Jean Quinton and Bridget Vultaggio.

"When we started we wanted the kids to do something as a team effort," said Catherine Pixton. "We wanted them to learn about engineering and robotics and programming and still have time for competition."

Having not attended competition before, they had no idea what to expect. About five weeks after the club was formed, the team competed Nov. 13 in Houston.

"They got to see some of the other robots and heard stories from other teams," she said. "They felt really encouraged and excited after that."

Their first robot named Gears of Fears was really big and could do everything, she said, but it was slow. So the team redesigned the robot and while it could no longer do everything, what it did do it did very fast. They won a championship in Galveston in January.

That motivated the boys who got excited to see if they could get better at driving skills and programming, she said. After learning about sensors, they redesigned their robot and renamed him "Heavy Lifter." With both speed and multiple skills, he competed well and earned the team its title.

In addition to competition victories, the team also won recognition for its research about the use of drones in agriculture.

The InVEXibles are taking a break for now.

"Pretty much the last couple of months there was a lot of effort getting the robot ready and testing," said John Pixton.

The team probably will wait until June to get started on a new challenge, though they're excited and want to start right now, added Catherine Pixton. "They're chomping at the bit and talking about ideas for a robot they're going to build."

The VEX Robotics World Championship featured student-led teams from elementary school to college representing Canada, China, New Zealand, Singapore and the United States. The InVEXibles alliance partner was The Gladiators of Ontario Canada.

An April 26 news release from the Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation and VEX Robotics announced the winners.

The April 20-25 championship hosted 1,400 teams from more than 30 nations.

"It was real exciting to go to world and see different competitors from different countries and to see all the different people and different robots people came up with," said Catherine Pixton.

Visit http://www.vexworlds.com and http://www.RoboticsEducation.org for more information.

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Young Katy robotics team earns world championship - Chron.com

The Malibu High School (MHS) robotics team in April became one of the top teams in the world, up from a comparatively low (but still impressive) 77th ranking following the world championships in 2016.

The MHS robotics team placed 15th in its division, 11th in the world in its skills challenge, and No. 5 in the world for its programming skills a sizable improvement from its 77th place last year and a big accomplishment for the five-man team comprised of seniors Sam Burton, Izzy Putterman and Jaime Le, junior Louie Putterman, and freshman Ben Burton.

This past April 19-22, the MHS robotics team competed for the second time at the VEX Robotics World Championship in Louisville, Ken. and made school history.

The competition went really well. We competed at a higher level than we have ever done before and we were able to out-compete the majority of other teams. Our record last year at Worlds was 3-7, which placed us in 77th place in our division. This year, we flipped that record, going 7-3, putting us in 15th place in our division, explained Le, who also competed last year in the tournament.

Through a series of round robin tournament matches, teams competed against each other and attempted to throw the most three-dimensional stars and cubes across a fence before time ran out. With challengers from around the globe, the MHS team fought hard to represent Malibu on the world stage.

The whole event was a great experience, captain Sam Burton noted. We competed with teams from across the globe, including China, the U.K. and the UAE. It was also good to reconnect with the teams wed gotten to know through the season ... One team we had competed with and tied with before losing to them in the finals went on to win the whole competition and become the world champions.

With international competitors came a whole new standard of competition. Putterman explained that the team was not only able to rise to meet the high standard, but was able to exceed it.

There were definitely some brilliant robots that took the design approach to a new level, Izzy Putterman said.

First-time world competitors Louie Putterman and Ben Burton saw opportunities for MHS robotics future.

[The tournament] was cool to see all the different teams with all their robots ... It was fun being on the team this year, and hopefully next year we can get to worlds again, Ben Burton said.

Louie Putterman, who is following in his brothers footsteps, is the third member of his family to make history on the MHS robotics team; his brothers Harry and Izzy both competed in the 2016 VEX Robotics World Championships.

It would be amazing for our robotics program to be able to reach the world championships three years in a row, but this will take a lot of work, said Louie Putterman.

With the help of coach John Burton, a lifelong programmer, and advisor Brian Corrigan, the team was able to make their mark on the international level.

Overall, I think in the end [this was] an improvement over last year It just shows their dedication to the hundreds of hours they put in and John Burton put in. Just like last year, they worked a ton, noted Corrigan, who also teachers physics and engineering at MHS.

These accomplishments did not come easy. With language barriers among the teams and primarily an initial issue with the static of the fields, which slowed many robots down, the MHS team was forced to think on their feet and quickly came up with alternative methods to continue on in the tournament, according to the Malibu team.

Malibu seniors are hopeful that the two-year-old MHS robotics team will continue on long after they graduate.

Jaime, Sam and I have brought the club to a good spot. Ben and Louie are going to lead the club next year and hopefully more people join in, Izzy Putterman said.

My main hope is that this robotics program becomes a large and integral part of our campus and society of Malibu High, Le concluded.

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MHS Robotics Makes History, Again - Malibu Times

Submitted by Camdenton R-III School District, Special to the Lake Sun

It was an exciting four days for Camdenton R-III FIRST LASER robotic teams as they represented the lake area at the international FIRST robotics championship over the last week of April. This appearance marks the seventh time in eight years that the high school team has qualified to compete at the world championship. The excitement built as opening ceremonies approached and LASER was asked to provide an FLL Jr. team member to speak at opening ceremonies. Grace Law from Osage Beach Elementary was given VIP status and escorted to main floor of the dome where she stepped in front of a teleprompter and introduced a FIRST sponsor and speaker from Monsanto. After the opening ceremonies Grace got to meet FIRST founder Dean Kamen and FIRST President Don Bossi. The Camdenton High School 4-H FIRST LASER team competed in the Tesla Division. The team brought home the coveted Championship Underwriters Laboratory Safety award. This award is given to a team that progress beyond safety fundamentals by using innovative ways to eliminate or protect against hazards. LASER team co-captains Melissa Stout, Miranda Swarts and Hailey Green worked diligently throughout the school year to prepare pit crews and team members through trainings and safety education. In addition, the co-captains gave safety presentations to groups of judges and were required to answer questions regarding safety procedures, reporting and community outreach while making sure the teams pit and drive crew remains safe while working on the robot during and outside of competitions. The LASER program will be offering safety training for other teams next year at the St. Louis regional in an order to help other teams adhere to safe practices during the build and competition seasons. The HS LASER teams robot was ranked 11th in their division going into the last two matches which the team lost by a combined margin of eight points and slid them to a rank of 28th. The team was selected by the eighth alliance which was defeated in the quarter finals. The team is preparing for the Missouri State FIRST Robotics Competition which is invitation only. The Camdenton LASER robot is ranked #5 in the state rankings and will compete next weekend in St. Louis for the state title. In addition to the High School competing, eleven very excited teams of second and third graders from the LASER FIRST LEGO League Jr. (FLL Jr) teams traveled to St Louis to compete at Union Station with teams from South Korea, Russia, China and the United States. Teams represented all Camdenton R-III elementary buildings: Hurricane Deck, Osage Beach, Dogwood and Hawthorn. The FLL Jr program introduces teams to simple machines, research and coding. Each team had to build and program a moving model, research a real world problem, present a solution and be interviewed by judges. The FLL Jr. competition took place over three days culminating with an exciting awards ceremony at the American Center Dome in St. Louis. All eleven teams brought home awards. In addition to individual medals each team received a LEGO trophy made in Denmark. Picasso Award Camdenton 4-H LASER #4890 Hurricane Deck Elementary Team Spirit Award - Camdenton 4-H LASER #189 Dogwood/Hawthorn Elementary Rising Star Award Camdenton 4-H LASER #184 Osage Beach Elementary Terrific Thinker Award- Camdenton 4-H LASER #5631 Osage Beach Elementary Redefining Learning Award - Camdenton 4-H LASER #190 Osage Beach Elementary Gracious Professionalism Award - Camdenton 4-H LASER #186 Dogwood/Hawthorn Elementary Coopertition Award - Camdenton 4-H LASER #5630 Osage Beach Elementary Solid As a Rock Award - Camdenton 4-H LASER #185 Dogwood/Hawthorn Elementary Construction Innovation Award - Camdenton 4-H LASER #744 Dogwood/Hawthorn Elementary Master Programmer Award Camdenton 4-H LASER #9354 Hurricane Deck Elementary Amazing Movement Award - Camdenton 4-H LASER #5631 Dogwood/Hawthorn Elementary On Friday the district bused up the remaining team members from the Middle School and Oakridge Intermediate so they could support the other teams competing and could visit the innovation faire. The Innovation Faire had booths from large industry and hands on activities that students could participate in while visiting. In addition, all students were able to see inventions that FIRST founder, Dean Kamen, had on display. Students were also able to visit scholarship row where MIT, Yale, MS&T, WPI and other prestigious schools were showcased. In 2017 over $50 million in college scholarships are available through FIRST robotics. Several LASER alumni have been recipients of FIRST scholarships including current LASER senior Cameron Rogers. The Camdenton 4-H FIRST LASER team would like to thank all of its sponsors, mentors, parents and community members that have so generously supported the teams through sponsorships, donations and volunteerism.

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At Worlds: Camdenton robotics teams represent at international championship - Lakenewsonline.com

By Garrett Ohlmeyer Staff Writer

Students at Vandebilt Catholic High School are learning engineering by building remotely operated underwater vehicles that they plan to race next weekend.

Ann Robichaux, an Earth science teacher at Vandebilt, said one section she teaches is on oceanography, so she thought it would be a good idea to find a project that would help them learn by doing.

When you talk about ROVs and you see them, theyre kind of rudimentary looking, Robichaux said. But the kids are getting electronics education, theyre learning about buoyancy, theyre learning about balance, theyre learning about electricity.

The ROVs are apart of SeaPerch,a program that helps to provide teachers and students with resources needed to build ROVs. A grant from the Junior Auxiliary of Houma helped the group obtain three kits to get them started.

Twelve students have been working on this project since September and are putting the finishing touches on the ROVs so they can race them Saturday at Bayouland YMCA, 103 Valhi Blvd.,Houma.

Robichaux said the students have watched videos and taken notes while learning how to build the underwater robots. They have also done all the drilling and soldering themselves.

At first, Robichaux said she didnt know too much about building them, and going through the process was a learning opportunity for the students andher.

We just, no pun intended, dove in, Robichaux said. Robotics is a big, big trend, and the idea that there is so much water here and we have businesses nearby that actually do works with ROVs.

On Saturday the students will finally have a chance to testthe ROVsand race them underwater, but this is only the beginning, said Robichaux.

Robichaux said she wants the students to continue building on their ROVs and add more parts like arms or cameras and maybe even try to find other schools to compete against.

Its just a neat way to introduce the kids to engineering, Robichaux said. And try to encourage those fields because there is such a shortage for candidates in those jobs.

-- Staff Writer Garrett Ohlmeyer can be reached at (985) 850-1149 or garrett.ohlmeyer@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @GOhlmeyer.

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Vanderbilt students learn about robotics - Houma Courier

Norfolk girl wins robotics competition award

Arrianee LeBeau, WVEC 3:49 PM. EDT May 07, 2017

Chai Hibbert and her robotic creation (Photo: 13News Now)

NORFOLK, Va. (WVEC) -- A junior at Norfolk Academy beat out thousands of students from nearly 30 different countries, taking home a prestigious robotics award.

Last weekend, Marissa ChaiHibbertreceived the Dean's List Award from the 'FIRST' tech challenge in Saint Louis.It stands for "For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology."

In many ways, Chaiis like most teenage girls. She gets a little giddy when she's talking about things she loves... but her love is for robots.

"When I was 10, 11 years old, my dad -- he's an engineer, a captain in the Navy -- we sat down and watched a couple of videos of autonomous robots. And I was just sitting watching the TV and I was like, 'This is so cool. I wanna do this,'" she recalls.

At Norfolk Academy, Chai is part of the Bulldog Robotics Team 8095. This past year with 21 kids on the team, they built this:

(Photo: 13News Now)

"These are the aluminum grabbers that grab the Wiffle balls and have them travel up this track with 3D printed wheels," Chaisays, describing her robotic creation. "We had to have a bunch of balls be able to come up here and shoot out."

She adds, "Once we finally got it, we were so excited."

Chai's team reached the finals this past year at a state FIRST TECH CHALLENGE tournament. She was chosen as one of five students in the state to compete for an award at the international FIRST Championship for robotics in St. Louis.

Out of nearly 15,000 students from 33 countries, only 20 were chosen as winners of the FIRST Dean's List Award.

Chai was one of them.

"I think what really made her distinctive was that she didn't just focus on the robot," says her physics teacher Robert Call. "FIRST is not to be seen just as a robotics program or a robotics competition, but as a program that really teaches kids how to do program and how to run an engineering project."

And sure, being a part of the robotics team is fun for Chai. But she also knows by doing so, she's showing the importance of science, technology, engineering, and math education.

"Just the fact that I have gotten the chance to be a Dean's List winner, I want to make sure that I get this out to as many people as possible," Chai says. "Especially minorities, especially girls, because we can do this!"

No matter what you may fear,Chai says don't be afraid to face it, because you never know what reward may be on the other side.

"Just let go of that fear you have. Be completely calm about it, and enjoy the process," she says.

2017 WVEC-TV

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Girls Who Code: Local STEM program reaches out to girls

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Norfolk teen wins robotics competition award - 13newsnow.com

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA

Some of the world's wealthiest and most influential leaders came to California this week for the Milken Institute Global Conference, a wide-ranging review of issues permeating economics and politics, with topics ranging from agriculture to mortgage markets to international trade and alliances, plus a long look at what the future will hold.

Of the 4,000 VIPs who attended invitations are highly selective, and tickets topped out as high as $50,000 one of the most intriguing questions under discussion was one that almost no one could readily answer: What effect will robotics and artificial intelligence have on our lives and on the world's business, and how rapidly will this next technological revolution take place?

The Milken Institute Global Conference, an annual event for the past 20 years, has grown steadily into a unique gathering: individuals with the capital, power and influence to move the world forward meet face-to-face with those whose expertise and creativity are reinventing industry, philanthropy and media.

This year's meeting in Beverly Hills, California, amounted to a peer review of President Donald Trump's first 100 days in office. Four members of Trump's Cabinet took part.

Michael Milken speaks at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., May 3, 2017.

Former U.S. leaders

Former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Joe Biden also were on hand to give their perspectives on U.S. politics. They were interviewed by Mike Milken, the onetime omnipotent investor who almost single-handedly developed the high-yield debt market in the United States and piled up billions of dollars in profits during the 1980s, from leveraged buyouts, hostile takeovers and corporate raids.

Milken, now 70, was known as the "junk bond king," and he ruled unchallenged until 1989, when he was indicted on 98 counts of racketeering and fraud. He served two years in prison and survived personal health crises, and has rebounded in the 21st century to his current status as a renowned philanthropist and public health advocate.

Interest rates and corporate balance sheets faded into the background when the business and policy leaders turned their attention to artificial intelligence, or AI, and robotics key factors in massive changes looming over the U.S. economy.

Unemployment in the United States is currently at its lowest point in 10 years 4.4 percent but jobs in the retail sector are drying up, down more than 60,000 in the past two months. So-called bricks-and-mortar retail stores are closing down in the face of competitive prices and easy shop-at-home service provided by online retailers such as Amazon.com.

Robotics have transformed the auto industry and many other sectors of manufacturing, and the high-end analytics available through what is known as "big data" have streamlined the entire process, from raw materials to finished products. Both blue-collar and white-collar jobs are becoming harder to find; opportunities in the services industry keep overall employment levels high, but that also means a decline in average workers' income.

Manufacturing jobs in the U.S. have been declining for decades, and that trend is having an effect on society as a whole, said Roy Bahat of Bloomberg Beta, a venture capital firm that is part of the financial services company Bloomberg LP.

Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., May 3, 2017.

Rising costs

Costs are rising for health care, housing and education, and with fewer good-paying jobs available, Bahat says those who "play the game by the rules" educating themselves adequately, buying a home and supporting families "still struggle to provide for an ordinary life."

Bloomberg Beta partnered with the think tank New America to look at the future of work during this week's conference, with input from leaders in popular culture, technology, faith communities, government and business.

They are due to issue a joint report later this month, but for now they raised imponderable questions: innovations such as self-driving trucks promise to change the way that companies move their goods, but how soon will that happen, and what will happen to drivers and packers now involved in such work?

The first large-scale commercial delivery of this kind was handled by a startup company called Otto last year. One of Otto's autonomous (driverless) trucks hauled 50,000 cans of beer for 200 kilometers along a highway in Colorado, in the American West.

Otto's co-founder, Lior Ron, said self-driving trucks hold immediate promise for American business, but he also admitted it was a carefully prepared test: Highway traffic, especially in a state like Colorado, is less challenging than traffic in cities, where pedestrians and stoplights make driving unpredictable.

The ride-sharing service Uber, which already had been studying the possible use of driverless vehicles, acquired Otto last year.

Most Americans tend to believe their children will have a better life or at least earn more money than they do, but Bahat deflated that notion: "If you look at the economic data, it turns out we live in the first generation where kids are statistically likely to make less" than their parents.

Anne-Marie Slaughter of New America said projections about how many jobs will be automated in the future vary widely, from 10 percent to 50 percent, and "we have no idea which of those [proportions] is true."

Anne-Marie Slaughter, President and CEO of New America, attends the session "The Diversity Dividend" in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos, Jan. 24, 2015.

Civic enterprise

New America, founded in 1999, describes itself as a "civic enterprise committed to renewing American politics, prosperity and purpose in the Digital Age." It lists all of its funding sources, from "under $1,000" to more than $1 million; the biggest donors tend to be philanthropic groups and other foundations.

"We generate big ideas," New America says in a capsule of its mission statement. "[We] bridge the gap between technology and policy and curate broad public conversation."

To underscore the uncertainty cloaking analyses of technological change, Slaughter noted that drivers interviewed for her group's joint study with Bloomberg Beta believe that self-driving trucks will not be in service for 20 to 25 years. By other estimates, she added, "It could be five. Who knows?"

Challenges in an era of artificial intelligence include the need to align technology with professional standards and social norms, Italian computer scientist Francesca Rossi said. In other words, human sensibilities must be integrated into machines' decision-making process.

Brian Chin of the huge international banking firm Credit Suisse said his company has employed 20 robots to handle complicated tasks including answering bank employees' questions about how best to comply with regulations on compliance and other banking procedures.

Bloomberg Beta's Bahat forecasts self-auditing accountants and automated mortgage officers in the years ahead. Steering clear of explicit predictions, he said workers and consumers must prepare for "wildly unexpected" developments in the future.

New America's Slaughter offers a wry comparison between the rapidly changing digital age and the Industrial Revolution. Harnessing the power of machines for manufacturing and transportation transformed the world and created lots of jobs, she said, but it also caused upheaval Marxism, wars and revolutions.

For those gauging the impact of the current technological revolution, the New America analyst cautioned, "Do not think this is going to be a smooth ride."

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Robotics, Artificial Intelligence Could Transform Society, But at What Cost? - Voice of America

INDIANAPOLIS -- When Pleasant Run Elementary in Indianapolis decided to launch a competitive robotics team last fall, coach Lisa Hopper said she had one goal and one goal only: to avoid humiliation.

"I said, 'I hope we don't embarrass ourselves, and if that happens I'll be a happy coach,'" Hopper said.

CBS News

The school is in a high-poverty neighborhood, so the kids don't have many resources. And her 4th grade team didn't know the first thing about robotics.

Nevertheless, the Pleasant Run Pantherbots began studying and then designing a robot to complete the assigned task. In the beginning there were a few successes -- and a lot of failures.

Although the kids say the biggest disappointment had nothing to do with their robot. At one of their first matches, an adult in the crowd heckled a Hispanic teammate, told him to "go back to Mexico."

The Pleasant Run Pantherbots team

CBS News

"I don't know why they did that," the boy said.

"That was actually kind of hurtful for them to say that," said a student.

The incident was demoralizing, but far from debilitating. In fact, it only made the kids work harder and stay after school later.

"I was so mad 'cause that happened, but I was actually kind of glad because we beat their butts," one of the kids said.

That's a poetic way of saying they channeled that insult into a victory at the city tournament. They went on to win at state, too. And just last week competed in the world championships in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Pantherbots at the national championship

CBS News

They didn't win it all, but they made it to the final round. Hardly the humiliation their coach had feared.

"They started with nothing and created something fantastic," Hopper said.

The kids are all now talking about technical careers. Someday they may build incredible robots. But for now their greatest contribution remains purely human.

"All of our team, everybody in America, it's gotta be mixed. It's a melting pot," one said.

To contact On the Road, or to send us a story idea, email us: OnTheRoad@cbsnews.com.

2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Indiana kids defy the odds on their school robotics team - CBS News

The Red Hook High School robotics team took home an award after competing at the FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics World Championships. Wochit

Red Hook High School seniors Colin Pierce, Daniel Monarchi and Benjamin Kocik, members of the the Varsity Robot Drive Team, stand with robot Talos. The school's robotics team competed at the FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics World Championships this year.(Photo: Courtesy photo/Yvonne Pierce)

The Red Hook High School robotics team took home an award after competing at the FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics World Championships.

The RoboRaiders were"one of only a handful of teams from New York and among128 teams" fromthe U.S. and 10 foreign countries to compete at the event, which was held inSt. Louis, Missouri in late April, the Red Hook Central School District said in a statement.

The student-run team, which consists of 15 high school students,placed 30th out of 64 teams in their divisionand won a discretionary Judges'Award for outstanding community service.

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"The judges were particularly impressed by this team that interrupted their robot build for over a month in order to improve a motorized transportation solution for a pre-school student at their school with congenital mobility impairment," the district said.

Since September, the students have been working to design, buildand program a robot for this year's Velocity Vortex competition, according to the district. They also performed more than 800 hours of community service to promoteScience, Technology, Engineering,and Math (STEM) education.

"I've only been part of the RoboRaiders for a year, but already I've learned a great deal,"said freshman Alexandra Snyder. "Our team has worked so hard this season, and when we found out that we were going to the world championships, we were so excited. It was almost surreal."

"This is the best robot we have made, compared to the last four years' versions," said senior Ben Kocik. "To see the team advance to this level of competition is huge."

The team is coached by Red Hook High School science teachers Yvonne Pierce and Dwane Decker; IBM employees Stephen Kocik and Susan Zichittella are volunteer mentors.

"In my experience, (the robotics team)provides more exposure to STEM, leadership, teamworkand overall business than most single activities in college, while building a foundation for high school students to do the work themselves,"Zichittella said.

The RoboRaiders, fundedprimarily by local sponsors, is seeking donations to help offset the cost of attending the world championships. Donations can be made at http://www.GoFundMe.com/FTC6567.

Nina Schutzman: nschutzman@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-451-4518 Twitter: @pojonschutzman

Read or Share this story: http://pojonews.co/2peqMFs

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Red Hook robotics team wins award at world championships - Poughkeepsie Journal

Michele Lamkin knew at the start of the season that she was coachinga special group of talented kids.

Lamkin, who is one of two coaches for theLaurel Highlands Education and Robotics Team, Robotic Doges,said last week proved her right.

Robotic Doges competed in the2017 FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) World Championship in St. Louisand made it to the tournaments final four.

The Holsopple-based robotics team was among 128 teams competing to be crowned the tournaments champion.

The week at worlds was a phenomenal experience for the team, Lamkin said.

Beyond the robot competition, the team members had the chance to meet students from 19 different countries, witness technology demonstrations, learn about STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) career options and enjoy some fun together after a long season of hard work.

It was a fantastic way for students to broaden their horizons, she said.

After winning twoout of threesemi-final matches, Robotic Doges allied with teams from New York City and Bucharest, Romania, forthe division finals.Their alliance was defeated by the alliance thatultimately won the event.

It was very fun, and it was cool meeting all of the other teams there, said James Lamkin, a junior atConemaugh Township Area High School.

It was thrilling to see our robot progress through the week and win matches against some of the best teams in the world, he said.

It was verysurreal.

Our goal was to get to worlds, and we pulled it off, he said.

It was a lot of hard work, but we got there.

In addition to making it to the division finals, Robotic Doges was among six finalists nominated for the Rockwell Collins Innovate Award.

Theaward is given to the team that has the most innovative and creative robot design solution to any or all specific field elements or components in the FIRST Tech Challenge.

Elements consideredinclude elegant design, robustness and out of the box thinking related to design.

Lamkinsaid, Making it to the final four and being nominated for the Rockwell Collins Innovate Award reinforced to the students that they can attain high goals with hard work, even when they come from a rural community which might seem on the surface to not have as many opportunities that urban areas offer.

I am very proud of the team members for putting in long hours this season and for raising the standard of goals they wanted to attain, she said.

These are all skills that will be useful for life.

Ronald Fisher is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @FisherSince_82.

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Robotics team glows at world championship - TribDem.com

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TEMPERANCE Bedford High Schools robotics team added another notch to its belt at the FIRST Robotics World Championship in St. Louis.

Although the Express didnt repeat its 2015 success of capturing a world title, the team did go home with one of the most prestigious pieces of recognition up for grabs: the Engineering Inspiration Award.

The award recognizes outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a teams school and community, and automatically qualifies them for next years world championship event in Detroit. NASA will also pick up the tab for next years $5,000 registration fee.

It was very surprising and probably one of the best feelings Ive ever had at a robotics competition, said senior Olivia Miller, who serves as electronics captain. I know the amount of effort we put into that award was all worth it. Its really exciting knowing our team is going to worlds next year because of our efforts.

Coach Debbie May said more than 120 teams were up for the award.

The Express made it out of the qualifying round at the tournament last weekend, finishing 16th. They teamed with the WildStangs from Arlington Heights, Ill., and Gompei and the HERD from Worcester, Mass., to form their alliance.

As the 8th-ranked alliance, Bedfords group had to face the top-ranked alliance in the first elimination round match.

The matches are three versus three, so its always a little dependent on luck and how good the other teams are that youre with, Ms. May said. We were not always partnered with teams who were able to perform the same [as us], so it made it a little tough.

Bedfords alliance won the first match in the best-of-three series, but dropped the final two. One of the teams on the opposing alliance from Greenville, Texas, has won multiple world championships.

A former member of the Express is interning there, and serves as a mentor to the team.

We were 16th in our division and beat one of the best teams in the world, senior and build captain Charlie Cook said. Overall, we performed very well. It was a fun match.

This years FIRST gameplay theme was steamworks. The object of each match was to make an airship take flight by retrieving gears with your robot.

Once 13 gears were placed, four rotors on top of the airship began to spin.

There was something that involved climbing a rope that was four or five feet high, said senior Sam Synowka, a member of the drive team. Sometimes robots would climb and it would either fail to stay up or the rope would break, so the robot would fall.

The Express had a 100 percent success rate in climbing the rope, which was the final step of this years matches.

Teams are given six weeks before the competition season begins to build their robots. During that time, most students log more than 200 hours perfecting their machine.

This coming weekend will be the first one theyve had free since January, Ms. May said. Its going to be hard to let go of this class. We always say its not just about the robot; the robot is the vehicle to get these kids inspired. Thats the type of thing that keeps me invested in this program.

Contact Jay Skebba at:jskebba@theblade.com,419-376-9414, or on Twitter @JaySkebbaBlade.

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Bedford High robotics team inspires - Toledo Blade