WUHS robotics team qualifies for world championship in second competitive year

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- In conscionable their 2nd twelvemonth of competition, Washington Union High School's robotics squad is headed to the satellite stage.

Students are surrounded by metallic and mechanisms successful this Robotics Lab astatine Washington Union High School.

Senior Christopher Cruz planned to instrumentality the aesculapian pathway during his 4 years, but instead, decided to spell with his 2nd choice: robotics.

"I fell successful emotion with it," Christopher said.

Jason Archuleta is the Robotics Teacher.

He says the students instrumentality ownership of their robots.

"They plan them, physique them and programme them," Archuleta said.

This is the 5th twelvemonth the people has been offered, but lone the 2nd twelvemonth they've been competitive.

Last twelvemonth was a learning experience.

None of the teams precocious to state.

But this year, they were ready.

All 3 teams made it to the authorities competition.

Christopher and his teammates did truthful good that they're advancing to the Vex Robotics World Championship.

Frederick Hilliker is successful complaint of strategy.

Christopher is the driver.

Rodrigo Vega is portion of the pit squad and works connected ensuring the robot is acceptable and has immoderate repairs needed.

Ashlee Porras is simply a scout.

Maverik Villalobos is successful complaint of programming.

Juan Salcedo is successful complaint of the people and time.

"It's some truly breathtaking and truly nerve-wracking to spot that this is wherever your skills truly get enactment to the test. This is wherever you spot if everything you've done truly pays off," Christopher said.

The basal premise of the crippled includes their robot picking up rings and stacking them onto a stand.

With the contention 2 months away, the squad decided to physique a marque caller robot based connected their original.

"We conscionable wanted to marque this, but smaller, faster and better," Christopher said.

They're inactive finishing gathering and finalizing the coding, but they've already begun strategizing.

Archuleta says portion it's amusive for the students, they're besides learning however to deliberation similar an engineer.

"They larn however to tackle problems, analyse a problem, deliberation astir what they're going to bash to lick that problem. Then they larn a clump of skills," Archuleta said.

Christopher and his squad accidental they program to usage those skills to win connected the satellite stage.

"I mean to astatine slightest marque it a semi, oregon astatine slightest effort to win," Christopher said.

The squad volition beryllium flying retired of Fresno to Dallas, Texas, connected May 4 and they statesman the satellite championships connected May 6.

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