West Middlesex High School Robotics Team prepares for competition

Apr. 4—WEST MIDDLESEX — As the students tested their robot's spinning weapon, the members and advisers of the West Middlesex High School Robotics Team brainstormed ideas to further improve their robot.

"We're thinking about putting some extra protection around the wheels," said Dan Astey, one of the team's advisers, as he examined the squat, delta-shaped robot.

Fellow adviser and teacher Chris Anderson said the team's members have been developing the robot since December or January and hope the robot will perform well in the upcoming RoboBOTS competition.

The competition, sponsored by the Northwestern Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Tooling and Manufacturing Association, will be held Saturday at Meadville Area High School.

RoboBOTS is free and open to the public, and will feature 36 teams from 15 schools competing.

Astey said the competition is organized as a double-elimination tournament, with the opportunity to sign up for a grudge match as well.

"It can get pretty intense when you get all the kids and more than 20 robots in the gym," Anderson said.

The West Middlesex High School Robotics Team has about seven core members, although membership tends to fluctuate over the years. Teacher Stephen Petrochko also assists the team, Anderson said.

The team's president, sophomore Aiden Thompson, said the team was a fun way for the students to learn about different STEAM-related skills, with STEAM meaning science, technology, engineering, art and math.

Teammate eighth-grader Ashton Jones agreed with Aiden, and said he appreciated how the team's members could help with different parts of the project, from designing the robot to helping with electrical work.

Team member Nicholas Thompson, a senior and Aiden's brother, said he enjoyed the teamwork that came from working alongside his fellow students and the advisers.

"Everyone on the team is here because they want to be here," Aiden said.

Astey said the West Middlesex team had competed in other RoboBOTS competitions over the years, and Anderson said the team expects to compete in another competition in May in Pittsburgh.

But before the competitions begin, the robotics team recently had an opportunity to display their robot during the West Middlesex School Board's March meeting.

After introducing themselves and explaining the robot, Astey and a few of the team's members answered some of the board's questions — ranging from how the robot is controlled to Board President Dr. Andrew Erb's humorous suggestion that a flamethrower be added.

The board members wished the students luck on the upcoming RoboBOTS competition, while board member Scott Bartholomew said he remembered learning from Astey while Bartholomew was a student at the Mercer County Career Center in 1995.

"I'm glad to see you're still teaching and affecting our youth, much like you affected me many years ago," Bartholomew said.

The RoboBOTS competition, West Middlesex Jr.-Sr. High School Principal Tessa Simmons said the event will be live-streamed on the "West Middlesex Area School District" Facebook page.

Like David L. Dye on Facebook or email him at ddye@sharonherald.com.