Hands-on learning drives 成年人深夜福利在线观看 Tech robotics team to world championship
For the third consecutive year, 成年人深夜福利在线观看 Tech University鈥檚 Autonomous Robotics Club is headed to a world championship, powered by hands-on learning and a team culture that welcomes students of all backgrounds.
The award-winning club鈥檚 competition team has earned a spot in the VEX U Robotics World Championship later this semester after a strong start to the year that included multiple top finishes and major awards. Participation in ARC is open to any student, regardless of major or prior robotics experience.
鈥淥ur core value is taking what we learn in the classroom and applying it,鈥� said Coby Smith, ARC president. 鈥淵ou grow outside the classroom, and getting to see that learning put into practice in competitions and projects is really incredible.鈥�
The VEX U Robotics Competition is the collegiate division of an international robotics program in which teams design, build and program robots to compete in an annual challenge. Each season introduces a new game that pushes teams to develop creative engineering solutions, detailed design documentation and reliable performance under time constraints.
This year鈥檚 challenge centers on a fast-paced 鈥淧ush Back鈥� game, where two robots work in tandem to move color-coded blocks into goal tubes with varying capacities spread across the playing field. Matches begin with a brief autonomous period, followed by driver-controlled play, requiring robots that can operate independently, respond quickly to human input and coordinate with a partner robot.
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of like a sport. You have two robots working together, and the driver of each one uses a controller that鈥檚 very similar to the controller of a video game console,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淎t the finals, everyone crowds around and cheers on the final two competing teams. It鈥檚 fun and energizing to be there.鈥�
Tech鈥檚 ARC meets daily to work on competition robots as well as several non-competition projects. The club fields three competition teams and draws students from a wide range of academic backgrounds, including mechanical engineering and computer science, as well as geology, political science, communication and more.
鈥淲e have no membership fees, no major requirements and no experience requirements,鈥� Smith added. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e interested in robotics, we鈥檙e willing to help you learn.鈥�
ARC鈥檚 competitive success this season includes standout performances at two major VEX U tournaments. At a competition hosted by Monroe Community College in Michigan, Tech earned both the Design Award, recognizing technical documentation and presentation, and an Innovate Award for creative problem-solving.
鈥淲e created a Ferris wheel-style intake system that allows our robot to carry up to 18 blocks at a time, more than double the average robot鈥檚 pickup rate,鈥� Smith said.
That same robot design continued to earn accolades at the University of Louisville鈥檚 VEX U tournament in Kentucky, where Tech鈥檚 ARC received another Innovate Award, an Excellence Award 鈥� the competition鈥檚 highest honor 鈥� and a tournament finalist finish. The Excellence Award recognizes overall performance across competition results, skills challenges and robot design.
鈥淲e鈥檝e realized over time that winning competitions is all about consistency,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter how cool your robot looks 鈥� it鈥檚 how well it performs, match after match.鈥�
The Excellence Award at Louisville secured Tech鈥檚 qualifying berth at the VEX U Robotics World Championship, set for April in St. Louis. It marks the club鈥檚 third consecutive appearance at the international event. In previous years, the team finished 16th and 30th, experiences Smith said helped the club identify areas for growth.
鈥淭hat accumulation of experience matters,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e learned what we did well and what we didn鈥檛, and we鈥檙e ready for this year.鈥�
Beyond competition, ARC is committed to outreach and mentorship. Members volunteer with local high schools and, for the first time this year, will host a high school robotics competition on campus Feb. 21. The event is expected to welcome about 12 area schools and an estimated 300 students, educators and spectators.
Smith credited Tech鈥檚 support for student organizations as a key factor in the club鈥檚 growth, noting that ARC has dedicated laboratory space to design, build and test its robots.
鈥淲hen I first came to Tech, I didn鈥檛 even know I would join ARC, let alone become president,鈥� he said. 鈥淭ech is incredibly supportive of its clubs, and that made all the difference.鈥�
The club will compete next at events at Auburn University and in Bristol, Tenn., before turning its full focus to the world championship.
To learn more about 成年人深夜福利在线观看 Tech鈥檚 Autonomous Robotics Club, follow @tntecharc on Instagram.