Local high school robotics teams to compete in state championship at EMU this weekend
Skyline High School's robotics team robot, center, makes its winning shot at a recent competition.
Courtesy of Susan Weir
Robots from Huron, Skyline, Dexter and Willow Run high schools will compete against each other and 60 other schools for the title of state champs and a ticket to compete at the world championship in St. Louis later this month.
The competition is hosted by FIRST, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, a non-profit organization with a mission to help prepare students to be leaders in science and technology.
The state championship will be at the EMU Convocation Center from Thursday to Saturday, with matches beginning at 2:15 p.m. Thursday. The elimination matches are scheduled for Saturday at 12:30 p.m., which is when the winners will earn the title of state champs and go on to the world championship against 400 teams from across the globe.
For event details, including the competition agenda, click here.
Skyline’s team, the Eagle Imperium, earned first place at a recent district competition, gaining its spot in the state championships.
“I'm extremely proud of that because it’s basically the effort of all of us on the team to build this robot,” said Skyline senior Jeffrey Hu, team captain. “We are extremely excited for the state championship. We’ve built a highly accurate shooter.”
Each year, FIRST picks a new challenge for the competition. This year’s theme is “Rebound Rumble,” which challenges robotics teams to build a radio-controlled robot capable of driving around to pick up and shoot basketballs with speed and accuracy.
The playing field has four baskets set at various heights and positions, the highest having the most point value. Two robots play simultaneously on the court and must pick up, aim and shoot basketballs into the baskets.
Robotics teams have worked for months to prepare for the competitions, which began in January. Students work with mentors, who are typically professionals from the engineering and technology community, to help build the robots.
The world championship is scheduled for April 25-28 at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.
Comments
A2comments
Sun, Apr 15, 2012 : 6:51 p.m.
Team 830 was very excited to win the Michigan State Championship for the first time ever! Michigan is the only state to have a FIRST state championship, and this is the highest award team 830 has ever achieved. Some video footage of the event has been uploaded to Youtube including nearly complete footage of the final two matches. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLzYy_lFWZk&list=PLD1AB47A1711BDC6B&feature=view_all
bluetonguedlizard
Mon, Apr 16, 2012 : 12:47 p.m.
you'd think a2.com would at least have had an article or mention of it by now. It was an incredible event and great achievement by everyone involved. Thanks for the youtube link, I have been trying to explain to family what it was like.
bluetonguedlizard
Sat, Apr 14, 2012 : 9:53 p.m.
Went to the championships today and it was FANTASTIC, we had never heard of it before so thanks to all how participated. Huron High's Rat Pack also came in first place in a 3 team alliance to become the State Champions.
babs
Fri, Apr 13, 2012 : 10:42 a.m.
Dear Mr. Shaw.......do YOUR homework. F.I.R.S.T, the acronym actually means FOR INSPIRATION AND RECOGNITION of SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY. If the robotics kids didn't pay attention to important details such as this, those machines would never move. Out of respect for Dean Kamen, please change this in your article.
Danny Shaw
Fri, Apr 13, 2012 : 11:39 a.m.
Thank you. The article has been updated.
YpsiReader
Thu, Apr 12, 2012 : 10:06 p.m.
I am very proud of Team 66! Looking forward to watching Willow Run put on a good show at the competition!
BhavanaJagat
Thu, Apr 12, 2012 : 4:01 p.m.
ROBOTICS AND SPIRITUALISM : Congratulations to these students who are using intelligence to assemble mechanical devices that use intelligence; process information and perform a designated task using the information gained. Intelligence and Consciousness, the ability to acquire, retain, and use information, are the characteristics of living cells that have the living substance that performs action using knowledge. Hence, I define Life as Knowledge in Action. http://bhavanajagat.com/2010/08/05/What-Is-Life-Life-Is-Knowledge-in-Action/
glimmertwin
Thu, Apr 12, 2012 : 3:14 p.m.
I took my younger son up to Flint a month or so back for one of these competitions. We had a great time and it was nice to see so may young people interested in this. I would recommend anyone with a little time to go to this. It's really fun. I had never been to a robotics event nor have any familiarity with it. My only complaint is our school district (not for much longer I hope) doesn't appear to be involved nor are there any groups that I have been able to see. Good luck to all the participants.
Carole
Thu, Apr 12, 2012 : 10:42 a.m.
Congratulations to the students at Skyline =-- best wishes on winning the competition.
A2comments
Thu, Apr 12, 2012 : 10:29 a.m.
Watching the video you'll learn that shooting baskets is just one part of the game. Other ways to score include balancing on ramps with other team members, etc. FIRST, founded by Dean Kamen (inventor of Segway), teaches young people many things including how to work as a team, because engineers are rarely successful working alone. Teams work as alliances of three teams throughout the matches, randomly grouped, until the top 8 teams are determined. These 8 teams then pick 2 other teams each to form the final alliances of three teams each for the elimination matches. Student mentors, such as U of M students that mentor Team 830 from Huron, really are the main interface with the students. Live video feed for the entire competition is available here: http://www.coderedrobotics.com/webcast/ Parking and attendence at the competition is FREE, and it is a great way for students to experience FIRST for themselves. More info about FIRST, which includes competitions for younger students, is here: http://www.usfirst.org