Just weeks ago, the University School Robotics Team won the First Tech Challenge Cleveland Qualifier. The competition took place at the Cuyahoga Community College Campus and consisted of two sections: the qualifying matches and playoff games. Four teams compete in one game, with two people randomly assigned to each team. The goal of the game is to score as many points as possible by using your robot to shoot balls and place a large ball on an elevated platform in the arena in a game called Velocity Vortex. While the team’s success was certainly a remarkable achievement, this is hardly the US Robotics team’s first taste of victory. Just last year, the team won second place alliance in the same competition, as well as the Judges Choice Award for “being a rising star in the Robotics community.”
The US Robotics team meets each day to get their custom robots ready to compete. The team currently has two robots, both of which took two months to build. While University School students are the primary builders of these machines, Mr. Sweeney and Mr. Brodie help with programming code and fabricating pieces for the robots. When asked what made him interested in Robotics, US Senior Arjun Ramachandran said that he’s “been interested in engineering from a young age,” and thinks that “seeing how things work is fascinating.” Additionally, Arjun stated that “Robotics provides a perfect creative outlet to design, build, and create.” When asked how their involvement in this club has influenced their future career interests, the Robotics team said that their interests range from Entrepreneurship and Business to Industrial and Graphic Design. Undoubtedly, their experiences on the Robotics club will come in handy in the near future.
As far as joining the club, the Robotics team is always looking for new members. Ramachandran says that “Robotics is a great way to learn engineering, build teamwork, and most importantly, Robotics is the best club in the school!”