(Photo courtesy of High Desert Droids)
Local high school robotics team High Desert Droids has earned a berth at the upcoming FIRST Robotics Competition PNW Championship tournament, April 6-9 in Portland, Oregon. Eligibility to compete at this event was based on their performance at qualifying tournaments held in Wilsonville and Philomath, Oregon earlier this spring.
The team is also a bright prospect to qualify to compete at the FIRST Robotics World Championship in St. Louis, MO in late April. Their performance at the District Championship event will determine eligibility to compete at “Worlds”.
The High Desert Droids’ robot, “t=Ia” (pronounced, “Tia”), was designed, built, and programmed over the course of six weeks this winter to compete in the FIRST Robotics Competition game, “FIRST Stronghold”. The robot is capable of scoring balls into a goal as well as crossing medieval-themed barriers including a drawbridge, portcullis, and a (dry) moat.
The team is seeking community support for travel to the tournament in Portland. If you wish to support fundraising efforts, please visit the teams website, http://www.team753.com for more information.
Season Highlights
Wilsonville Tournament: Ranked 13th after qualifying matches, first pick for 6th seed finals alliance, Quarter-finalists, and winner of the Xerox Creativity Award (given to acknowledge the team’s unique approach to robot design and game play).
Philomath Tournament: Ranked 6th after qualifying matches, 5th seed finals alliance captain, Semi-finalists (upset the 4th seed alliance in the Quarter-finals), and winner of the Judges Award (a discretionary award, which was given to acknowledge the team’s commitment to sharing their passion for STEM with the youth of Central Oregon). Highlights of the event can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdw6SOZ_CUw
Currently the High Desert Droids are ranked 26th in the Pacific Northwest District.
Who Are We? Seven-Five-Three!
FIRST Team 753 (High Desert Droids) is a student–driven team of bright individuals drawn together by a passion for working as a team, building robots, and fostering excitement in science and technology through FIRST. Formed in 2002, the team is based out of Mountain View High School and is comprised of students ages 14 and older from across Central Oregon.
About the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC)
“The varsity Sport for the Mind,” FRC combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. Under strict rules, limited resources, and time limits, teams are challenged to raise funds, design a team “brand,” hone teamwork skills, and build and program robots to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors. It’s as close to “real-world engineering” as a student can get. Volunteer and professional mentors lend their time and talents to guide each team. For more information, visit the FIRST website (http://www.usfirst.org/).
