By: David Voss, PhyXTgears Media Team Member—
Muncie, IN—Robotics Team 1720 PhyXTgears has advanced to the IndianaFIRST state competition in Kokomo.
The two-day event is open to the public and will take over the Kokomo Memorial Gym Friday and Saturday, April 12-13.
“[I am] super excited and ready to go,” said team member Logan Hickok-Dickson, who is a member of the robot’s drive team.
Team 1720 has participated in two district events this 2018-19 season. At the Mishawaka district competition March 8-9, the team finished as the third ranked alliance (three teams compete together as an alliance for each match). At the Tippecanoe competition March 22-24, PhyXTgears was ranked as the fifth place alliance. Overall, Team 1720 and its robot, “Space Walrus,” has performed admirably in all district competitions and is well prepared for state, according to its members and mentors.
The theme for this year’s competition season is “Destination: Deep Space.” The theme is a celebration of the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. Robots created by each team can earn points by placing hatch panels onto rockets and shooting orange balls (cargo) into rockets and a cargo ship, all inspired by the lunar mission.
Team 1720 PhyXTGears (pronounced “fixed gears”) first competed in 2005. This season, PhyXTGears has 29 student members and 17 student and adult mentors from Delaware County and beyond.
FIRST is a non-profit organization that focuses on inspiring students in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math). FIRST, among other things, sponsors this international robotics competition where high school students and adult mentors get a chance to express their excitement about technology and compete in a challenging and fun atmosphere.
Learn more about the team at: https://phyxtgears.org. Watch the state competition live at: https://www.twitch.tv/firstinspires
