MORE Robotics Wins Awards at the 2014 World Championship

MORE Robotics, Team 1714, finished the 2014 FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition season by competing at the World Championships in St. Louis, Missouri from April 23rd through the 26th. The team competed with the top four hundred teams from around the world that qualified for the event at the various regional events. The season started with over 2,700 teams and 68,000 students from 17 countries all vying for a spot at the World Championship.  The team performed well compiling a record of 5 and 5 and winning the Entrepreneurship Award and UL Industrial Safety Hardhat Award. The Entrepreneurship Award recognizes a team that has developed the framework for a comprehensive business plan to scope, manage, and achieve team objectives. The Safety Hardhat Award recognizes a team for outstanding safety practices.

2014 was the ninth year the team competed in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) and the ninth year it qualified for and competed in the World Championships. During that time frame, less than 1% of the teams participating in FRC have competed in all nine World Championships.

This year’s competition, called Aerial Assist, was played between two alliances of three teams. Each alliance competes by trying to score as many balls into their goals as possible during the two-minute and 30-second match. During the first ten seconds of the match, the robot runs autonomously based on programs written by the students and during the final two-minutes and 20-seconds the robot is driven by a teammate. The balls are approximately two feet in diameter like an exercise ball. Additional points are scored if the alliance partners can successfully pass the ball between teammates prior to scoring. The robots weigh up to 150 pounds and can be as large as 28 inches wide by 28 inches long by five feet tall. Teams are given just six weeks to design, build, prototype and program their robot to participate in the annual competition.

The team competed at two regional events and qualified for the World Championships at each event. At the Lake Superior Regional in Duluth, Minnesota, from March 6th through 8th, the team won the Engineering Inspiration Award, the second highest honor bestowed upon teams at regional competitions, the Entrepreneurship Award and the Industrial Safety Award sponsored by Underwriters Laboratories. The Engineering Inspiration Award celebrates outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering and engineers, both within their school, as well as their community. This award qualified the team for the World Championship. The Entrepreneurship Award celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit by recognizing a team that has developed the framework for a comprehensive business plan to scope, manage, and achieve team objectives. The Industrial Safety Award celebrates the team that progresses beyond safety fundamentals by using innovative ways to eliminate or protect against hazards.

At the Wisconsin Regional held at the U.S. Cellular Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from March 20th through March 22nd, the team won the Chairman’s Award, the highest honor bestowed upon teams at regional competitions, the Entrepreneurship Award and was an Industrial Safety Award runner-up. The Chairman’s Award is the most prestigious award at FIRST, it honors the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST. This award also qualified the team for the World Championship.

MORE Robotics was founded to give grade school and high school students who are interested in science, technology, engineering, and math (“STEM”) an opportunity to learn about careers in these areas and to encourage them to pursue careers in the science and engineering fields. The team targets students who attend schools in Southeastern Milwaukee County that do not have a robotics club and who do not have an opportunity to experience FIRST. The team encourages personal growth and promotes self-confidence and leadership skills in a team setting similar to school athletic programs. Students are challenged to do their best and are celebrated for their skills in robot designing, building, and competition while learning gracious professionalism.

MORE Robotics is supported by local companies and universities. Sponsors include Hollow Steel, Ladish Foundation, Caterpillar, Siemens, Dedicated Computing, QuadTech, Rockwell Automation, Joy Global, Nucor, Symbiont, Renesas, Boyle Fredrickson, MSOE, PPG, MGIC, Vilter, American Acrylics USA LLC, and Saint Thomas More High School. Additional information about MORE Robotics can be found by visiting the team website: www.morerobotics.org.