Battle of students to qualify more robots-Santa Maria times

The high-schoolers have a trick up their sleeves with a robot climbing a ladder.

The crafty young people, all members of Nipomo High School Titan Robotics team, try to at least one more robot World Robotics VEX in April and the "Mikkel-bot" would be their best ticket as its less-common trick judges at the current competition impresses in Lemoore.

A robot, lovingly named "apple pie," is already heading to the world championship that students of high school and high school in the whole country to the ESPN Sports Center in Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, April 14 to 16.

Walt Disney World calls a sign hanging on the wall in the classroom of Middle School Nipomo where Titan Robotics practices as a reminder of the purpose at hand.

"It is our motivation," said Victoria Kaml, a junior in its first year with the Robotics team led by math teacher Greg Gracia.

In their second House, the 10 robotics team members practice maneuvering the three student-created robots to perform tasks that are picking up colored, plastic rings and place them on pillars to score the most points possible.

The Mikkel-bot, named after her driver and team President Mikkel Sandberg, is a striking, because it was designed with claw hands that allows a driver to climb a ladder, who earns more points. The robot has garnered recognition at tournaments in the past but never posted.

Gracia said if one more robot steps up today — the third robot is called "Phoenix" — the team would have a better chance of earning a higher place on the Championship. It is the fourth consecutive year that the team has qualified, but students have always placed on the back of the packaging of about 100 schools.

"The goal would be to finish in the top 20," said Gracia, which is a Titans Robotics fundraiser for sometime in April.

With or without an impressive championship finishing the students still get to learn about mechanical engineering, collaboration and communication.

Junior Kristian Chavez said to participate in the team this year was an excellent decision as it could help build a foundation for the pursuit of an engineering degree.

Usually, it is about having fun.

"I never thought I could build something similar," said Chavez. "It's a real team effort."

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