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That’s exactly what
happened to Albany High School’s Robotics Team in the quarterfinals of
the United Technologies Corporation Regional Robotics Competition last
month at the Hartford Civic Center. Despite effectively losing one of
their three robots competing in the match, the school’s FIRST Robotics
Team #1493 performed well enough to land a third place finish in the
event, its best placement in four years of competition.
Without a doubt, the
adrenaline was pumping as the students maneuvered their remaining two
robots as time in the quarterfinal match elapsed.
“It’s like a big-time
basketball game,” said Albany High robotics adviser Richard Kissane.
“The crowd is yelling and cheering. It’s such a great experience for our
students, and it is thrilling to have our best finish ever."
From the start four years
ago, the FIRST Robotics Team #1493 has been a joint effort between
Albany High School and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Students from
both schools have worked hand-in-hand to design and manufacture the
robots that will perform specific tasks in the competitions.
This year’s robots
weighed about 110 pounds; its task was to pick up inflatable swimming
rings and stack them onto the tentacles of a spider-like goal.
Kissane said many of the
students participate in the high school’s engineering and architectural
course offerings through Project Lead the Way, and realize that they
have an interest and a knack for engineering.
“They’ve done real-world
stuff with the club where they design, build and use the product. They
see everything from brainstorming to the finished product,” he said.
“It’s great motivation.”
Kissane said that the
performance of the team has raised the profile of the 20-student
Robotics Club, and he’s already had more students asking them about how
they can join.
A goal for the future is
to win the regional event and land a spot in the national competition,
which is taking place in Atlanta this year. Other awards can propel a
team to the national event and some spaces are open for teams who are
interested. However, Kissane and his RPI counterparts have agreed that
they will only go after a first place finish in Hartford.
“We want to earn it. And
that’s what we tell the kids,” he said. “We’ll give it our best next
year.”
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