Competition beckons for area robotics team

A few of the team members working late Monday night at Lincoln Middle School were, from left to right, first row: Micah Brewer, Joseph Miller, Connor Johnson, and Sara Moore; second row: Riley Kopp, Clare Jacobs, Aaron Su, and Cameron Dearien; Third row: Josh Heithe, Spencer Hatch and Elisabeth Fittschen.

The 2016 Whitman County 4H robotics club is wrapping up their building season to begin competition next weekend.

Now in their fifth season, the WSU Extension For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) team has grown to 40 students from five local high schools: Colfax, Colton, Pullman, Garfield/Palouse and Moscow.

“Our senior students are eligible to apply for FIRST’s nearly $22 million in scholarships from more than 200 colleges and universities, and they have earned it,” said Aaron Johnson, mechanical team mentor.

The task for this year is titled “First Stronghold,” in which teams collect and launch foam “boulders” at an opposing tower.

The Whitman County students have used their agricultural background to design the collector using the spiral design of a combine header.

The storming-the-castle theme this year challenges teams to build a robot to break down defenses such as a moat, drawbridge, rock wall, portcullis and a Sally port, among others. The endgame has the alliance of robots challenge and scale the tower to lift their flag above the ramparts.

Tuesday night at midnight marked the “Bag & Tag” deadline in which teams are required to stop work on their robot until competition begins.

The Palouse group's work began Jan. 9, beginning six weeks of building and testing – all in the wood shop at Lincoln Middle School in Pullman.

Their first competition is March 4-5 at West Valley High School in Spokane. The event is free and open to the public.

On April 27-30, more than 3,000 teams comprised of more than 78,000 students from around the world will compete in 2016 FIRST Championship in St. Louis.

Teams compete with their robots at more than 120 multi-day events worldwide – all leading up to St. Louis.