All I understand about robots is my robosweeper, which I don’t really think qualifies as a robot. It is supposed to follow a programmed route through my house, but instead I spend a lot time either rescuing it from my pup or redirecting it from under the furniture. When I heard South-Doyle High School branded the 6517 So-Kno Robo team as part of the FIRST (For Inspiration & Recognition of Science & Technology) robotics organization in the area, I knew it is something special. Indeed, it is!
On March 31 – April 1, Tennessee hosted the FIRST Robotics Smoky Mountain Regional tournament, where the 6517 So-Kno Robo team competed with teams from Tennessee and around the country to win a berth to the world championship in Houston, Texas. Teams had 5 weeks to build a robot which needed to perform tasks specified for the annual competition.
This South-Doyle High School team was on the top alliance and came in first place in the regional, earning a berth the World Championship. Only 5 other teams from Tennessee reached the World Championships with Webb Robotics being the only other Knoxville team.
This was a huge accomplishment for the team since the last time they went to the World Championship was in 2017 after winning the Rookie All Star award. We look forward to the results of the world championship that will have taken place by publication of this article.
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