Schools

Viewfinder: Mad Warbots Prepare For Regional Competition

We are always on the prowl in our communities for great photos, videos and local stories. This week we captured James Madison High School's Robotics Team in action as they prepared for this week's regional competition.

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James Madison High School's robotics team is competing in the DC Regional FIRST Robotics Competition at the Washington Convention Center. The competition runs through Saturday.

It's the first of two regional competitions the team is attending this year with the hopes of qualifying for the national competition in St. Louis in April.

Find out what's happening in Viennawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The team had six weeks to build a robot that would compete in "Logo Motion," a game played on a 27-by-54-foot field, by two teams of three robots each. The goal is to hang as many inflated squares, circles and triangles as possible on the teams' respective grids. Height earns more points. The meet is two minutes and 15 seconds long.

"The match ends with robots deploying minibots, small electro-mechanical assemblies that are independent of the host robot, onto vertical poles. The minibots race to the top of the pole to trigger a sensor and earn additional bonus point," according to the team's website.

The team is run by Madison teacher Toss Cline and a number of parent volunteers. Watch the video above to see students and mentors in action.

The crew will head to Richmond April 7 to 9 for another regional competition.


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