Hilton Head Island robotics team tastes highs, dismay at competition

A robotics team from Hilton Head Island High School won the preliminary competition at last weekend’s FIRST Robotics competition in Myrtle Beach, reaching the overall semifinals before a rare replay knocked them out.

The 19-person team had six weeks to design and build a robot that would perform specific tasks that included picking up game pieces from the competition floor and climbing a rope to a height of nearly five feet.

“It’s a challenge,” said Melissa Bonvissuto, a senior who captained the effort.

This year’s assignment was divided into three parts, starting with a 15-second autonomous period in which the robot operates only on pre-programmed instructions.

Two minutes of driver-operated play followed, in which the robot would collect 8- to 12-inch gears around the arena floor and place them on a hook to be pulled into a tower. The rope climb was the final segment.

A five-person drive team was responsible for controlling the robot on the floor.

“We’d go through a week or two of just coming up with design ideas and what the best strategy would be,” Bonvissuto said. “In some cases, prototyping could go right to the end.”

Fortunately for the HHIHS team, the design came together quickly, with the last 10 days focused on robot controls. The team’s use of low-density polyethylene to slide under game pieces for pickup played a key role in its high scores.

After winning the preliminaries, teams went into head-to-head competition to crown a winner. After the HHIHS team appeared to have punched its ticket to the final, a technical error on the part of officials allowed their opponent a replay that turned out successful.

“It was a disappointing situation, to say the least,” Bonvissuto said. “But the thrill of being first in qualifications was truly incredible.”

The team will compete again in two weeks at a regional event in Nashville, in hopes of yet earning a berth in next month’s FIRST world championship in Houston.

Joining Bonvissuto on the team were Cristian Ambrocio, Camilla Aragon, Kieran Ashton, Isabella Balzola, Frank Delong, Lauren Fettes, Thomas Garino, James Kellam, Ed Maxted-Sorenson, Emily McPherson, Mackenzie Nicholson, Emma North, Kyle Riddle, Ramario Rodney, Anna Schidrich, Alexandra Tappeiner, Bryan Velazquez and Max Weitekamper.

This story was originally published March 12, 2017 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Hilton Head Island robotics team tastes highs, dismay at competition."