WildStangs takes third in regional robotics competition
The WildStang Robotics Team - made up of students from Rolling Meadows, Prospect and Wheeling High Schools - took third place out of 39 teams at the Central Illinois Regional of the FIRST Robotics Competition in Peoria.
For this competition, held on March 20 and March 21, students formed teams and relied on mechanical, electrical, playing field, software, computer animation and strategy skills to build a competitive robot from scratch.
Local businesses, using computer-aided design drawings from students, fabricated parts used in the robot that the students assembled, wired and programmed.
The 66-member team competed next at the FIRST Robotics Midwest Regional at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, on April 3 and April 4, before attending the world championship in St. Louis later in April.
To prepare for the Midwest competition, called the "Recycle Rush," students worked side-by-side with practicing engineers for six weeks to brainstorm and build a robot.
Current business partners include longtime sponsor Motorola Solutions, Methode Electronics, Nu-Way Industries, Numerical Precision, and Magnetic Inspection Laboratory.
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) sponsors an annual robotics competition that District 214 students have participated in for 20 years.
The team has previously won three world championships and the "Chairman's Award" for the best overall team representing the FIRST organization.
• Submit 'Your News' at www.dailyherald.com/share.