Robotics squad places second, nets design award

An article by Leslie Shepard-Owsley    No Comments

It’s another hot year for the Huron Valley HOT (Heroes of Tomorrow) Robotics Team, which placed second among its peers at the West Michigan District event on Friday, March 18 and Saturday, March 19.

The HOT Team also brought home the GM Industrial Design Award, which celebrates form and function in an efficiently designed machine.

“This was another display of awesome teamwork,” said HOT Robotics Team Coach Lori Gleason. “At West Michigan, our drive team, pit crew and scouters worked like well-oiled machines.”

The HOT Team’s mission is to inspire students’ interest in science and technology. The team mentors and students work together to build products that are judged in FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics regional competitions and the championship Event.

Products include a robot capable of playing a game designed by FIRST; documentation of the success of the team with multimedia technology; and an animated short created using the same software used by the motion picture industry.

The robotics team is renowned for its litany of achievements. The team was formed back in 1997 and took first-place during its inaugural year, winning the Rookie All-Star Award. In 2005, the team won the Chairman’s Award and the World Championship in Atlanta, which catapulted it into the Robotics Hall of Fame. Then in 2007, the team placed second in the world finals.

The team competes at the Michigan State Robotics Championship Thursday, April 7 through Saturday, April 9, as well as at the World Robotics Championship in St. Louis, Mo. from April 27-30.