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The NSU University School Sharks Are Headed Back To The Robotics World Championships

One of the two teams that NSU University School is sending to the Vex World Championships, tests out their robot before the trip.
Caitie Switalski
/
WLRN
One of the two teams that NSU University School is sending to the Vex World Championships, tests out their robot before the trip.

The NSU University School’s Robotics team is headed to the Vex World Championship this week, where they will face robots from 35 countries.  

During one of the last team practices before leaving Tuesday for the competition in Louisville,  the robotics students showed off what the two bots they are bringing to the event can do.

Hear what these students - and their robots - can really do.The bots’ main objective is to pick up and stack mini yellow traffic cones. 

“Two sets of arms  are attached to a moving back plate,” said David Skaff, pointing to the long metal pieces on the bot that lift up the cones. “Then, on that back plate there’s another two sets of individually moving arms, so that you can gain another set of height.”

David Skaff is a high school senior on the team. This is his fourth year in a row going to Worlds.

The Sharks, as the team is called, spent the year winning design and skills awards at regional and state competitions. Now they’re headed back to compete in the top 3 percent of teams in the world.

Out of 19,000 teams from across the globe, only 560 get to advance to the championship. The Sharks will compete against 35 different countries.

 

This is one of two robots students will use to pick up cones in competition with robotics teams from around the world. This one grips the top of each cone and pulls it upwards.
Credit Caitie Switalski / WLRN
/
WLRN
This is one of two robots students will use to pick up cones in competition with robotics teams from around the world. This one grips the top of each cone and pulls it upwards.

Erik Weidenboerner is the head coach, and he teaches two levels of robotics classes at the school.

“It’s kind of like the Olympics of robotics,” he said. This year, it’s all about scoring cones...it’s called ‘In the Zone.’”

Alessandro Landi, a sophomore on the team, explained what he said  was one last productive practice session before the trip.  

"Really, we're not going to have time after school anymore to sort of fix any kinks or any problems we're going to face," Landi said, the week before the trip. "That was all done... previous weeks building. Now we're just sort of packing and practicing as much as we can."

Last year at Worlds, the Sharks placed in the top six in their division. This year, of course, they are hoping for first. 

As for David Skaff, after graduation he’s headed to Johns Hopkins University next year to study engineering.

Copyright 2018 WLRN 91.3 FM

Caitie Switalski is a rising senior at the University of Florida. She's worked for WFSU-FM in Tallahassee as an intern and reporter. When she's in Gainesville for school, Caitie is an anchor and producer for local Morning Edition content at WUFT-FM, as well as a digital editor for the station's website. Her favorite stories are politically driven, about how politicians, laws and policies effect local communities. Once she graduates with a dual degree in Journalism and English,Caitiehopes to make a career continuing to report and produce for NPR stations in the sunshine state. When she's not following what's happening with changing laws, you can catchCaitielounging in local coffee shops, at the beach, or watching Love Actually for the hundredth time.