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ATI Industrial Automation creates robotic tools that automobile companies use to make more

Tucked away in Apex, a robotics company is about to nearly double its headcount.

Robert Little, CEO of ATI Industrial Automation, says the company breaks ground next week on an expansion that will create 275 new jobs and grow its Apex footprint to 185,000 square feet.

ATI Industrial Automation creates robotic tools that automobile companies use to make more

The company currently has 300 employees. Little says it has reached the limits of its Apex facility, and that the new robotics lab will be bigger with state of the art features.

With the new facility, ATI intends to focus on new and better robots with force-control. Little describes it as equipping robots with sensors that feel. The robots can then use that feature to accomplish the kinds of tasks that currently need to be done by people.

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Apex robotics firm plans hiring binge in upcoming expansion - Triangle Business Journal

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When science fiction author Isaac Asimov devised his Three Laws of Robotics he was thinking about androids. He envisioned a world where these human-like robots would act like servants and would need a set of programming rules to prevent them from causing harm. But in the 75 years since the publication of the first story to feature his ethical guidelines, there have been significant technological advancements. We now have a very different conception of what robots can look like and how we will interact with them.

The highly-evolved field of robotics is producing a huge range of devices, from autonomous vacuum cleaners to military drones to entire factory production lines. At the same time, artificial intelligence and machine learning are increasingly behind much of the software that affects us on a daily basis, whether were searching the internet or being allocated government services. These developments are rapidly leading to a time when robots of all kinds will become prevalent in almost all aspects of society, and human-robot interactions will rise significantly.

Asimovs laws are still mentioned as a template for guiding our development of robots. The South Korean government even proposed a Robot Ethics Charter in 2007 reflecting the laws. But given how much robotics has changed and will continue to grow in the future, we need to ask how these rules could be updated for a 21st century version of artificial intelligence.

Asimovs suggested laws were devised to protect humans from interactions with robots. They are:

As mentioned, one of the obvious issues is that robots today appear to be far more varied than those in Asimovs stories, including some that are far more simple. So we need to consider whether we should have a threshold of complexity below which the rules might not be required. It is difficult to conceive a robotic vacuum cleaner having the capability of harming humans or even requiring an ability to obey orders. It is a robot with a single task that can be predetermined prior to it being switched on.

At the other end of the spectrum, however, are the robots designed for military combat environments. These devices are being designed for spying, bomb disposal or load-carrying purposes. These would still appear to align with Asimovs laws, particularly as they are being created to reduce risk to human lives within highly dangerous environments.

But it is only a small step to assume that the ultimate military goal would be to create armed robots that could be deployed on the battlefield. In this situation, the First Law not harming humans becomes hugely problematic. The role of the military is often to save the lives of soldiers and civilians but often by harming its enemies on the battlefield. So the laws might need to be considered from different perspectives or interpretations.

The laws ambiguity has led authors, including Asimov, to explore how they could be misinterpreted or incorrectly applied. One issue is that they dont actually define what a robot is. As research pushes the boundaries of technology, there are emerging branches of robotics looking at more molecular devices.

For example, robots made from DNA and proteins could be used in surgery to correct gene disorders. In theory, these devices should really follow Asimovs laws. But for them to follow orders via DNA signals they would essentially have to become an integral part of the human they were working on. This integration would then make it difficult to determine whether the robot was independent enough to fall under the laws or operate outside of them. And on a practical level it would be impossible for it to determine whether any orders it received would cause harm to the human if carried out.

Theres also the question of what counts as harming a human being. This could be an issue when considering the development of robot babies in Japan, for example. If a human were to adopt one of these robots it might arguably cause emotional or psychological harm. But this harm may not have come about from the direct actions of the robot or become apparent until many years after the human-robot interaction has ended. This problem could even apply to much simpler AI, such as the use of machine learning to create music that elicits emotions.

The other big issue with the laws is that we would need a significant advancement in AI for robots to actually be able to follow them. The goal of AI research is sometimes described as developing machines that can think and act rationally and like a human. So far, emulating human behaviour has not been well researched in the field of AI and the development of rational behaviour has focused on limited, well defined areas.

With this in mind, a robot could only operate within a very limited sphere and any rational application of the laws would be highly restricted. Even that might not be possible with current technology, as a system that could reason and make decisions based on the laws would need considerable computational power.

Given all these issues, Asimovs laws offer little more than founding principles for someone wanting to create a robotic code today. We need to follow them with a much more comprehensive set of laws. That said, without significant developments in AI, implementing such laws will remain an impossible task. And thats before we even consider the potential for hurt should humans start to fall in love with robots.

Mark Robert Anderson, Professor in Computing and Information Systems, Edge Hill University

This article was originally published on The Conversationand republished here iwth permission. Read the original article.

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After 75 years, Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics need updating - Cosmos

Toyota is introducing a wearable robotic leg brace designed to help partially paralyzed people walk.

The Welwalk WW-1000 system is made up of a motorized mechanical frame that fits on a person's leg from the knee down. The patients can practice walking wearing the robotic device on a special treadmill that can support their weight.

Toyota Motor Corp. demonstrated the equipment for reporters at its Tokyo headquarters on Wednesday.

One hundred such systems will be rented to medical facilities in Japan later this year, Toyota said. The service entails a one-time initial charge of 1 million yen ($9,000) and a 350,000 yen ($3,200) monthly fee.

The gadget is designed to be worn on one leg at a time for patients severely paralyzed on one side of the body due to a stroke or other ailments, Eiichi Saito, a medical doctor and executive vice president at Fujita Health University, explained.

The university joined with Toyota in developing the device.

A person demonstrating it strapped the brace to her thigh, knee, ankle and foot and then showed how it is used to practice walking on the treadmill. Her body was supported from above by a harness and the motor helped to bend and straighten her knee. Sensors in the device can monitor the walking and adjust quickly to help out. Medical staff control the system through a touch panel screen.

Japanese automakers have been developing robotics both for manufacturing and other uses. Honda Motor Co.'s Asimo humanoid can run and dance, pour a drink and carry on simple conversations, while WelWalk is more of a system that uses robotics than a stand-alone robot.

Given how common paralysis due to strokes is in fast-aging Japan, Toyota's device could be very helpful, Saito said. He said patients using it can recover more quickly as the sensitive robotic sensor in Welwalk fine-tunes the level of support better than a human therapist can.

"This helps just barely enough," said Saito, explaining that helping too much can slow progress in rehabilitation.

The field of robotic aids for walking and rehabilitation is growing quickly. A battery-powered wearable exoskeleton made by Israeli manufacturer ReWalk Robotics enables people relying on a wheelchair to stand upright and walk.

Such systems also can aid therapists in monitoring a patient's progress, Luke Hares, chief technology officer at Cambridge Medical Robotics in Britain, said in a phone interview.

"They can be so much more precise," he said.

Previously, Toyota has shown robots that play the violin and trumpet. It plans to start sales in Japan of a tiny boy-like robot for conversational companionship. It is also investing in artificial intelligence and developing self-driving vehicles.

Toshiyuki Isobe, Toyota's chief officer for research, said Welwalk reflects the company's desire to apply robotics in medicine and other social welfare areas, not just entertainment. The company also has an R2-D2-like machine, called the Human Support Robot, whose mechanical arm can help bed-ridden people pick things up.

"Our vision is about trying to deliver mobility for everybody," said Isobe. "We have been developing industrial robotics for auto manufacturing, and we are trying to figure out how we can use that technology to fill social needs and help people more."

Yuri Kageyama can be reached at https://twitter.com/yurikageyama

Her work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/yuri-kageyama

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Toyota shows robotic leg brace to help paralyzed people walk - ABC News

Hemingway Tigers 6222 placed as one on the top eight teams in the 14th Annual Palmetto Regional FIRST Robotics Competition held at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center in Myrtle Beach in March. Photo Provided

Hemingway Tigers 6222 placed as one on the top eight teams in the 14th Annual Palmetto Regional FIRST Robotics Competition held at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center in Myrtle Beach in March.

This team was established during the 2015-2016 school term as a partnership between Hemingway High School and Hemingway Career and Technology Center to further inspire students with an interest in engineering, science and mathematics; however, students, who are members of this team, have varying interests, skill levels and career goals. Membership on this unique team allows them to build on each others strengthens by working collaboratively to build a robot that performs all the mechanisms needed for successful competition.

Wade Nettles, Science Teacher at Hemingway High School, shared that while every win is great, this years win at the FIRST Robotics Competition in February was very special. He explained that last year the team went to competition unfamiliar with the specifics of competition as well as apprehensive of the outcome. Nettles shared that while at the 2016 competition a former graduate of Hemingway High School, Raymond Rollins, met the team and was inspired to partnered with them along with his son, Daniel, and return to the 2017 competition with more confidence and with a robot designed to place. Rollins and Daniel worked closely with the team and advisors by acting as mentors and working diligently to secure sponsorships. Nettles said, We knew we would do better this year.

At the end of the first day of competition, we placed fourth and remained in the top eight throughout the second day. When the finals began, we were in the top six. We are proud of our team members who realized through this experience the benefit of working hard and remaining to be persistent.

Hemingway Tigers 6222 received help from several other teams last year; they made the administration of the school proud to see them helping other teams this year. According the Principal Glen Kennedy, it has been amazing to see students with nothing in common talking together and working collaborative to create the best robot for competition.

I am very impressed with the improvements of this team in such a short period of time. These students are amazing and dedicated, and I know that they will not forget this experience. I am appreciative to everyone who helped students to realize that they have outstanding skills that can help them later in life.

Shamar Washington, who is a senior and one of the eighteen students on Team 6222, shared that when he first became involved with robotics, it was a smaller more inexperienced team. He mentioned that when the team arrived at the competition last year, they lost but learned a lot from the experience. We were amazed at the robots that were there, Washington said. He shared that their goal was to make the top eight and he is proud that all team members did a great job. There is no leader, we all have a role to play. Danial helped us organize this team and we contributed equally. We had so much support as we prepared for this years competition, Washington added.

Torrance Wilson, Director of Career and Technology Education, said, It is through experiences like this that students realize how their skills in science and math can be used in various careers. I watched these students prepare for competition with so much enthusiasm. They have made us very proud, and we appreciate sponsors and parents for their support and interest in this STEM initiative.

Michael Harper feels that it is important to have good communication skills to be an effective member of the team. You really dont need a lot of experience because its always something you can do on the team, Michael added. Michael is a senior and plans to become a game designer.

Robotics competitions prepare students for the real-world and foster intense learning that promotes increase interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Students at Hemingway High School and Hemingway Career and Technology Center have made the district proud as they have challenged themselves with the assistance of their teachers and mentors to become immerse in creative challenges, project planning and management, design thinking and teamwork. We look forward to hearing more positive things about Hemingway 6222. We encourage more students at Hemingway High School with talents in mathematics and science to become involved with robotics, pursue STEM careers and become leaders in science and technology said Superintendent of Williamsburg County School District, Carrie Brock.

Hemingway Tiger 6222 Drive Team members are Michael Harper, Johnavan Barkers, Logan Evans and Warren Williams. Team Coordinators are Trelashia Sessions and Zaria Thompkins. Team Mechanics are Rayshawn Lewis, Brayon Alston, Hakeem Thompson and Azavia Scott. Safety Coordinators are Gavin Rollins and Ronzell Bluefort. Team Programmers are Logan Carley and Sean Cannon. Team Support Staff Members are Quaila Flegler, Chalinda Lasane and Amaya Greene. Team Spokesperson is Shamar Washington.

Carolina Cool, Grand Strand Business Alliance, Metal Fab and Contractors, GS Tech, Fastenal, BC Films, Coastal Distribution and Reprap Guru sponsored the team.

Mrs. Doreen Green and Ms. Betty Seller, both teachers at Hemingway High School, assist Nettles with the team along with Gregory Glisson, teacher at Hemingway Career and Technology Center.

FIRST Robotics Competition is an international high school robotics competition. Annually, each team of students and mentors work during a six-week period to build game-playing robots weighing in excess of 100 pounds.

These robots complete specific tasks with specifications that changes yearly making the competition thrilling with a more level playing field for each team. Hemingway 6222 placed 55 out of 62 in 2015-2016.

The FIRST Robotics Competition is one of four robotics competition programs organized by FIRST, the other three being FIRST Lego League Jr., FIRST Lego League, and the FIRST Tech Challenge.

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Robotics team places in national competition | News | kingstreenews ... - Kingstree News

MOORE Moore West Junior High's robotics team has met regularly after school since September, perfecting their machines and the code that runs them.

It's put the students on the cusp of a global stage, as high marks at the state competition in Lawton on Feb. 11 qualified Tiger Robotics for the VEXIQ World Championships. The competition begins April 23 in Louisville, Kentucky.

But there's one, fairly substantial, problem: money, and plenty of it in a short amount of time.

"I'm excited, but it's also a lot of extra work," Donna Haworth, Tiger Robotics coach and teacher at Moore West, said. "When you have kids who are dedicated, work hard and are excited, they get stuff done."

The team launched a GoFundMe account about a month ago, seeking $15,000 to send 10 students to Louisville. As of Tuesday night, the page showed just $1,500 had been raised.

Haworth said the team is looking for a corporate sponsor that would shoulder some of the financial burden. But to get the team including parent chaperone Chad Miller, who set-up the GoFundMe to Louisville, they're in need of the community's help.

Haworth's after school group used to meet during school, as well. When Moore West's robotics teacher retired, budget cuts meant her position went unfilled and no other teacher could incorporate the class into their schedule.

"We're hoping to get it back in the schedule at some point," Haworth said. "They learn so much, it's worth having the after school program."

So, Haworth scheduled meetings with the group outside of school hours, and 24 students showed up. It was enough for two teams in the VEX IQ competition this year, both of which qualified for the world competition.

Haworth said she wants to start a third team in the next school year: all girls.

"I've always liked technology," Cheyanne Sutton, Moore West student and member of the robotics team, said. "If something would break, I'd take it apart. When I came here and there was robotics, I thought I might like it, because I have a lot of those DIY robotics kits."

The students have various reasons for joining. Joseph Falcon said he likes the people he gets to work with, and Camden Miller Chad's son said he enjoys doing something he wants to make a career some day.

"Ive always wanted to be a developer and a programmer, and I feel like this is a good step toward that goal," Miller said.

And some like Emeka Nkurumeh simply enjoy solving problems.

"It's really gratifying when you have a problem and figure it out," he said. "You solve it, but then it presents another problem, so you just keep going and going."

The problem-solving aspect is one reason why Haworth said she chose to do VEX this year. The task to perform sounds simple enough in robotics terms: in a single playing field, take all of the orange or blue covered objects from one side and across a ramp to the corresponding shelves on the other.

In VEX, the middle school division works with kits and sanctioned parts, keeping the use of potentially dangerous tools at a minimum. The teams decide what parts to use, and where, and they develop the way to make the robot do the tasks on its own.

That's where programming comes in. Haworth said much of that was self-taught.

When you first look at it, it really is overwhelming," Falcon said. "What helped me a lot is you focus on one specific area of it. Gradually, you get more experience and learn more and more until you become a really good programmer.

After spending much of the fall semester building and bettering, Tiger Robotics began putting its skills to the test in VEX competitions. They won trophies in Muskogee before high marks in programming and robot skills driving it well booked a ticket to the World Championships.

"It's a lot of on the spot problem solving," Haworth said. "They problem solve, see what other teams do and say 'Hey, let's try that.'"

Just on Tuesday during a demonstration, Vincent Tran, one of the team's main drivers, noticed one of the platforms used to lift objects wasn't level. After a quick inspection, Nkurumeh went back to a box of supplies and produced a sort of axel that held the two sides level.

So long as VEX-approved parts are used that don't drastically change the robots which go through inspection before the competition begins this sort of on-the-fly problem solving and innovation is not only allowed, but what the competition is all about.

"I think if you focus not on the actual competition, but what youre doing in every day meetings, what youre doing here, and doing your best, not wasting time, thats what got us this far," Falcon said. "Through all of our engineers constantly trying to work on the robot and make it better, and with the programmers striving to get measurements right, get it perfect, thats what drove us this far."

And in a little less than two weeks, the team hopes it can take them a little further. That is, of course, if they can get there.

Anyone interested in donating to the Tigers Robotics cause and helping them compete at the World Championship can donate at GoFundMe.com/tigers-robotics-world-competition. So far 20 people have donated to the cause, as of Tuesday night.

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Moore West robotics needs help to reach world competition - Norman Transcript

Robotics experts from Omron Automation, Rockwell Automation, Universal Robots and Yaskawa Motoman share eight insights and newsy updates in the fast-changing market for cobots.

To anyone attending an industry event relating to packaging or automation over the past few years or that regularly read industry trade publications, it comes as little surprise that 2016 proved a record-busting year for robot orders and shipments.

According to a report from the Robotic Industries Association, 2016 Breaks Records for North American Robot Orders and Shipments, the food and consumer goods industry increased orders for robots by 32% in 2016. Among other functions, the robots in these industries are used to improve food safety, performing repetitive primary packaging tasks such as bin picking, tray loading and bottle handling, and assisting with secondary packaging tasks such as case packing, bundling, bagging and palletizing.

These trends and applications aligned in several conference sessions at UBMs ADM (Advanced Design & Manufacturing) Cleveland event held in late March where presenters and panelists had plenty to say about robotics and safety specific to collaborative robots (cobots). We present eight takeaway soundbites from a four-member-expert panel discussion moderated by Rob Spiegel, senior editor of UBM's Design News.

A panel discussion held in late March in Cleveland moderated by Design News editor Rob Spiegel included (R to L) Mark Noschang, Omron Automation; Keith Voz, Yaskawa Motoman; and George Schuster, Rockwell Automation. Daniel Moore, Universal Robots, joined the panel shortly after this picture was taken.

1. Rethink plant layouts. Production lines were traditionally straight lines with conveyors, but robot technology permits more flexibility for customers to split lines or even eliminate between-machine conveyors.

Mark Noschang, chief robotics engineer, Omron Automation and Safety

2. Collaborative workstations. Rather than just cobots, consider collaborative workstations that complement workers strengths with the repeatability of machines to optimize workflow.

George Schuster, TV-certified functional safety expert (FSExp), Certified Functional Safety Engineer (CFSE), Rockwell Automation

3. Reverse justification? Rather than a top-down drive from management, theres a pull from production workers who see that robotics can remove them from tiring, boring and sometimes dangerous tasks and into an opportunity for more meaningful work.

Keith Voz, product manager for software, Yaskawa Motoman

4. Health and foods. Robots are now being used in the healthcare markets for physical therapy, as well as in food preparation and delivery.

Daniel Moore, technical and sales support, Universal Robots

5. Job security. In our 20 years of robot installations, no one has been laid off by a robot. In fact, were seeing more and more acceptance by operators.

Noschang

6. Mobility exploding. Were seeing an explosion in mobile robots that are mounted on an AGV (automated guided vehicle) platform.

Schuster

7. Youth movement. Robotic cells are going into junior high schools as part of their STEM programs.

Voz

8. Collaborative machines. Collaborative machines are deploying now that have safety technologies built-in to the motors and drives.

Schuster

A lively segment followed Spiegels open-ended question to the panel on the safety challenges of cage-free operation. Some responses:

Those interested in robotics and automation can see these advancements in person at the next Advanced Design & Manufacturing (ADM) Expo, next month in Toronto, Canada, where five eventsAutomation Technology Expo (ATX), PACKEX, PLAST-EX, Design & Manufacturing and Powder & Bulk Solids (PBS)can be found under one roof May 16-18, 2017. For more information, visit http://admtoronto.com.

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8 considerations for collaborative robots | Packaging Digest - Packaging Digest

Summit High's Chaos Theory, Mtn. View High's High Desert Droids robotics teams qualified for world championship (Photos: Bend-La Pine Schools)

Summit High's Chaos Theory, Mtn. View High's High Desert Droids robotics teams qualified for world championship (Photos: Bend-La Pine Schools)

BEND, Ore. - Creativity, design, engineering, teamwork and ingenuity: Thats what it takes to put together a successfulroboticsteam. Two local high school teams demonstrated those qualities and more in qualifying for the FIRST World Championshiproboticscompetition in Houston, Texas April 19-22.

Chaos Theory, from Summit High School, and High Desert Droids, from Mountain View High School, both qualified for this prestigious competition thanks to their outstanding results during the regular season and at the Northwest regional competition that took place last weekend.

This is the first time Summits Chaos Theory has qualified for the world competition. The team, which began five years ago, includes 16 students. The team advanced in part due to winning a Judges Award for several accomplishments, including the creation of a localroboticsleague that includes 11 local middle and high school teams.

Mountain Views High Desert Droids includes 25 students and has been an active team for 16 years. The team won the Creativity Award at the regional contest, which is an award given to teams based on the design of the robot and how the team placed the game. High Desert Droids made nearly every item on the robot, using machine equipment at Mountain View High School.

More about the FIRSTroboticscompetition: Each January, the FIRSTroboticsgroup releases a new problem to solve. Teams have six-and-a-half weeks to design, build and program robots to accomplish certain tasks. This year the robots had to load and shoot whiffle balls, load and place gears onto a ship and climb a rope.

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Two Bend robotics teams earn top honors - KTVZ - KTVZ

The afterschool FIRST FRC Camdenton LASER 3284 robotics team won the Lone Star North competition this past weekend located north of Houston, TX. The event had 33 FIRST FRC team participants with two international teams from Turkey and Mexico.

The afterschool FIRST FRC Camdenton LASER 3284 robotics team won the Lone Star North competition this past weekend located north of Houston, TX. The event had 33 FIRST FRC team participants with two international teams from Turkey and Mexico.

Competing with several world-renowned powerhouse robotics programs in Texas, LASER 3284 finished ranked third after qualification rounds with a record of 9-2. The top 8 ranked teams get to select their alliance partners in a serpentine manner with the #1 alliance selecting first to form alliances of three teams to compete for the championship.

Analysis of the data collected by the scout team during qualification rounds proved critical to the LASERs selection of two quality alliance partners to assist them to capture the crown. Joining the LASER alliance was Royal Robotics 5842 from New Port Richey, FL and rookie team Flaming Metal Robotics team 6547 from Magnolia, TX.

This alliance cooperation and willingness to adjust strategy proved to be strong and the LASER alliance beat the#6 seed in quarters, #2 alliance in the semis, and the #1 alliance in the finals with a final match score of 380 - 237.

The LASER 3284 team also made strong impressions with the judges at the event earning two addition awards. The team was bestowed the Engineering Inspiration award. This award celebrates outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a teams school and community.The award provides the winning team a bid to the FIRST World Championships and a grant from NASA to cover the entry fee for the championships.

In addition, LASER 3284 also graciously accepted its ninth Underwriters Laboratory Industrial Safety Award.

While in Houston students toured the NASA Johnson Space Center.

LASER 3284 would like to thank the Camdenton R-III school district for its support along with our local sponsors: Electrovert ITW, Gerbes, The Community Foundation of the Lake, Lake Regional Health Systems, Curran & Associates, Scotts Concrete, and Metaltech.

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FIRST LASER Robotics team proceeds to world championship - Lakenewsonline.com

RIVERSIDE, Iowa (KCRG-TV9) -- Students from several eastern Iowa schools will get the chance to show off their designing, building, and engineering skills to the world.

They're members of seven robotics teams in the state that will be competing in the First Tech Challenge World Championships in St. Louis later this month. One of them is the Highland Robotics team from the Highland Community School District in Riverside. Members of the team said they're excited.

"Insanely thrilled. At the beginning of the year it was my goal to try to get us to worlds this year" said Sam Smith, a Highland High School junior on the robotics team.

That's the vibe everyone's feeling on the Highland Robotics team, also known as the "Finger Tightans." They lost in the state championships but were one of two teams selected in a wild card lottery to move on to the world championships. This is the team's first appearance at the FTC World Championships.

"It is so wonderful to see the teams down at the world championship especially the ones from Iowa. It's great to see familiar faces. It's great to hang out and celebrate their accomplishments with them" said Rebecca Whitaker, a First Tech Challenge affiliate partner for Iowa.

The coach says his team is very dedicated.

"They're in here a lot. They're here before or after school. They've been here some pretty late nights getting ready for competition" said Tim Surine, the coach of the "Finger Tightans."

It's not just putting the nuts and bolts together to make the robot work. There's community outreach, graphic design, program writing, and teamwork.

"If you don't have that team chemistry then you aren't synced up on what you're doing and communication would be difficult but with a group that's close knit and this together, all going to the same school and being in the same age range it's really important" said Smith.

Here's how it works. They use the robot to toss whiffle-balls up into a basket to score points, kind of like minature robot basketball. But it's not all fun and games. The team needs to raise a few thousand dollars to fund their trip to worlds in two weeks. If you would like to contribute to the team's fundraising efforts to be able to go to the competition, you can visit their Go Fund Me page at https://www.gofundme.com/FingerTightans or you can visit Highland High School to make a donation.

They'll compete against 120 teams from 80 different countries who are bringing their own robotic style and strategy. Other Iowa teams competing are from Davenport, Denver, Pella, Garner, Benton Community in Van Horne and Sioux City. It's unusual to have that many teams make it to the World Championships. First Tech Challenge Iowa says usually two or three schools make it. The World Championships take place from April 25 to April 29.

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Riverside robotics team raising money to attend world championships - KCRG

A group of underdogs in McKinney accomplished a pretty impressive feat.

They are on a rookie robotics team that took big honors at a regional contest and now move on to a world championship.

The McKinney Mercenary Robotics is a made up of high school students in public school and those who are home schooled along with adult mentors,

They came together and racked up two awards in their very first robotics competition.

Their win in the inaugural Brazos Valley Regional for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Competition (FRC) now moves the team from regional competition to a world championship.

"The team had just six weeks to design and build a robot to complete various tasks, the most difficult of which was getting the roughly 80 pound robot to ascend a rope," said volunteer Mary Mobley. "Facing real life engineering challenges, the students have to quickly make changes during the competition. Working out of a team members garage and game room, the rookie team faced tough completion from much larger teams with more funding and dedicated work spaces with full workshops."

Dawn Brosie, whose son Cole is on the team, tells NBC5 the journey began last summer when the group started to form. She credits mentors Mobley and Jason Bolen for taking a group of highly motivated kids to a new level.

"The passion they have for this small group (especially compared to the other schools that we have competed against) is immeasurable beyond words," Brosie wrote. "Mary, has raised money by reaching out to businesses in the community, applying for grants and continues to do so. Jason, dedicated many nights, given up his vacation days to help the students build their robot in just 6 weeks and attend competitions. They traveled great distances to their competitions arrange demonstrations within the community. I cant say enough about these two exceptional individuals."

Mercenary Robotics won the Highest Rookie Seed Award, as well as, the Rookie All Star Award. The Rookie All Star Award automatically qualifies the team to compete in the FIRST Championship which will be held in Houston April 19-22.

FIRST was founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen to promote a culture where science and technology are celebrated.

FIRST programs engage students in exciting mentor based programs that build science, engineering and technical skills, in addition to fostering competence in areas such as self-confidence, communication and leadership.

Mercenary Robotics is open to students from all three McKinney High Schools, as well as, home school students.

For more info please contact the team by email at mckinneymercs6369@gmail.com.

Published at 10:44 AM CDT on Apr 11, 2017 | Updated at 11:12 AM CDT on Apr 11, 2017

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McKinney Robotics Team Heads to Championship - NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth