01-03-2025
Statewide high school robotics teams compete in Waco
Waco, TX (FOX 44) — Waco is welcoming 45 high school robotics teams to compete in a high-energy competition! These students have been building and programming robots up to five feet tall for the past three to four months.
This year's robotics game theme is called Reefscape, where students build a robot that can pick up balls, representing ocean algae and pipes that represent coral. Five robots compete in a match in the center of the arena.
'In the center, we have our playing field up there,' says Harmony School Innovation senior Archer Allen. 'Up there we have a big screen, so the audience here can watch, and we actually stream it live on Twitch so people at home can watch.'
There is a position for each student with a potential for growth in a field they are interested in – whether it be electrical, mechanical or programming how the robot will drive.
The robots are controlled by team members with game controllers behind glass.
'We drive around, we can play a little bit defense,' Allen said. 'Our drivers are skilled in that, but we're just out here looking to have a good time, play the game, and meet some new people.'
Schools are grouped into different teams and put their problem-solving skills to the test by identifying what went wrong during the game.
After the practice round, Harmony School of Innovation was eight points behind – but they felt good about the round.
Waco's Harmony School of Innovation is the only Waco-based team competing at this level. They say their goal is to qualify for the world championship in April.
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