Students from Chicago Heights School District 170's Wilson School's "Wilson Warriors" Robotics Team recently competed at the Cook County Environbot Challenge at Rich Central High School in Olympia Fields.
Competing against elite squads from rival Cook County schools the Warriors earned a fourth-place finish in the competition while garnering a Judge's Award as the event's most "technically knowledgeable" squad.
The Warriors designed, built, and programmed their Lego robots to perform tasks solving environmental hazards on a 4' x 8' field.
"I am very proud of our team's effort," said coach Joseph Frieders. "With every year that passes our team continues to build on past successes and impress everyone with their commitment and talent."
The Wilson Warrior robotics team consists of Teshawna Evans, Javitae McMillian, Annicka Barker, Yuleny Santoyo, Alan Boyo, Francisco Antunes, Christian Crosby, Te'Nyah Evans, Javen Sullivan, Acoyah Barker, Anthony Guerrero, and Karma Killingworth.
The Warriors will next compete at the 2018 Illinois 4H Environbot Challenge at the Illinois State Fairgrounds' Orr Building in Springfield on April 21, 2018, where they are looking to improve on last year's 13th place finish.
At the state competition, students will demonstrate robot/computer programming (basic, precision and parallel command strings) along with robot designs to accomplish tasks (e.g., use of gears, levers, etc.). Other areas showcased will include field models to perform tasks, sensors used within a computer program to complete tasks, and teamwork strategies to solve problems.