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The No. 1 collegiate robotic team in the nation, also known as the ATU Robotics Team, attended the Texas VEX U Tournament in Houston, Texas on Friday, Feb. 23 and Saturday, Feb. 24. The team competed in a skills challenge which earned them their aforementioned title, along with earning the title of No. 2 collegiate robotic team in the world.
“It felt rewarding to be ranked number one in the U.S. after putting as much time and effort into the club as we did. Knowing that we are the only college in Arkansas that participates in VEX robotics [feels] like we are showing how great things come from not only Arkansas, but also Arkansas Tech,” said Hunter Mathis, a sophomore mechanical engineering major from Hope, Arkansas.
Christopher Osborne, a senior mechanical engineering major from Bryant, Arkansas, currently serves as the president of the ATU Robotics Team. Having participated in the VEX robotics program in high school, Osborne had previous experience in the area and was able to guide his team to victory.
“If I had to put an estimate on the time the team has put into this passion project as a total I’d have to say well over 500 hours.This includes using Computer Aided Design software to design the robots, coding the robots, working on documentation related to the robot, building, and practicing driving,” stated Osborne.
The robotics team also won the highest award at the tournament: the excellence award. This award is presented to the organization that shows overall excellence in the VEX robotics program. The score earned by ATU students qualified them to compete in the VEX U World Championship this April in Dallas, Texas.
The team spent many weeks constructing, fixing, and practicing using the robots that they took to competition. To prepare for the World Championship the robotics team plans to redesign their robots as well as keep their current ones, if funding allows them to do so.
“Seeing the different designs and strategies used in different collegiate programs has given us insight on how to change our robotics in preparation for the World Championship,” said Osborne.
ATU will be hosting the Arkansas VEX Robotics State Championship in Tucker Coliseum on Saturday, March 9. Spectators are welcomed to attend and observe the competition.
Contact club advisor Jacob Weidenfeller with any questions or concerns at jweidenfeller@atu.edu.
