{"id":187396,"date":"2025-03-18T03:23:38","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T17:23:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?p=836548"},"modified":"2025-03-18T03:23:38","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T17:23:38","slug":"students-dive-into-robotics-at-competition-supported-by-nasa-jpl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=187396","title":{"rendered":"Students Dive Into Robotics at Competition Supported by NASA JPL"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"A<\/a><\/figure>
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Students, mentors, and team supporters donning team colors watch robots clash on the playing field at the FIRST Robotics Los Angeles regional competition in El Segundo on March 16. <\/div>\n
NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Robots built by high schoolers vied for points in a fast-moving game inspired by complex ocean ecosystems at the FIRST Robotics Los Angeles regional competition.<\/em><\/p>\n

High school students who spent weeks designing, assembling, and testing 125-pound rolling robots put their fast-moving creations into the ring over the weekend, facing off at the annual Los Angeles regional FIRST Robotics Competition, an event supported by NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.<\/p>\n

Four of the 43 participating teams earned a chance to compete in April at the FIRST international championship tournament in Houston, which draws winning teams from across the country.<\/p>\n

Held March 14 to 16 at the Da Vinci Schools campus in El Segundo, the event is one of many supported by the nonprofit FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), which pairs students with STEM professionals. Teams receive the game rules, which change every year, in January and sprint toward competition, assembling their robot based on FIRST\u2019s specifications. The global competition not only gives students engineering experience but also helps them develop business skills with a range of activities, from fundraising for their team to marketing.<\/p>\n

For this year\u2019s game, called \u201cReefscape<\/a>,\u201d two alliances of three teams competed for points during each 2\u00bd-minute match. That meant six robots at a time sped across the floor, knocking into each other and angling to seed \u201ccoral\u201d (pieces of PVC pipe) on \u201creefs\u201d and harvesting \u201calgae\u201d (rubber balls). In the final seconds of each round, teams could earn extra points if their robots were able to hoist themselves into the air and dangle from hanging cages, as though they were ascending to the ocean surface.<\/p>\n

The action was set to a bouncy soundtrack that reverberated through the gym, while in the bleachers there were choreographed dancing, loud cheers, pom-poms, and even some tears.<\/p>\n

The winning alliance was composed of Warbots from Downey\u2019s Warren High School, TorBots from Torrance\u2019s South High School, and West Torrance Robotics from Torrance\u2019s West High School. The Robo-Nerds of Benjamin Franklin High in Los Angeles\u2019 Highland Park and Robo\u2019Lyon from Notre Dame de Bellegarde outside Lyon, France, won awards that mean they\u2019ll also get to compete in Houston, alongside the Warbots and the TorBots.<\/p>\n

NASA and its Robotics Alliance Project<\/a> provide grants for high school teams across the country and support FIRST Robotics competitions to encourage students to pursue STEM careers in aerospace. For the L.A. regional competition, JPL has coordinated volunteers \u2014 and provided coaching and mentoring to teams, judges, and other competition support \u2014 for 25 years.<\/p>\n

For more information about the FIRST Los Angeles regional, visit:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/cafirst.org\/frc\/losangeles\/<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

News Media Contact<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Melissa Pamer
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
626-314-4928
melissa.pamer@jpl.nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n

2025-037<\/p>\n

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