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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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