Oshkosh Wave Robotics Team scores at Indiana competition

With their trademark shark fin in place, the Oshkosh Wave Robotics team’s robot fought bravely at the Indiana Robotics Invitational this past weekend. This yearly invitation-only event brings 80 of the top technological teams from across the nation. There are more than 1,800 total teams internationally that participate in this program.

Teams have six weeks to build and program a robot to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors. The Wave Robotics robot, a sturdy contraption with a ‘kicking plate’ at its front, drives over large hurdles and is controlled with PS2 controllers.

Only in its second year of existence, the Wave Robotics team placed 24th after two days of intense competition and seeding. The Wave Robotics team also won the ‘mentor driven’ event, where the students become coach and the mentors use the robots to score points. This role-reversal allows the mentors to fervently use the robot’s technically-enhanced accuracy to kick a soccer ball into two different goals that can be more than 50 feet away.

Wave Robotics was also a part of a four team alliance that played in the quarterfinals of the total competition. Both mentors and the high school students of the Oshkosh Division of First Robotics Competition (FRC) have worked with teams from Wisconsin and other states and have developed friendships and rivalries in these robotics competitions.

The Wave Robotics team is comprised of students from three Oshkosh high schools—West, North and Lourdes—and mentors from local businesses whose industries range from defense to manufacturing.Wave Robotics hosts meetings year round, training students in skills from mechanical design to marketing.The competition kicks-off in January with an intense six week “build” period to design, create, and manufacture their robot, followed by competitions in Milwaukee and Minnesota and beyond to the World Championship in St. Louis.

Tyler Olds, a Wave Robotics mentor says that the goal of the program “is to raise cognizance of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics and to place students in these fields as they graduate beyond post-secondary schooling.”

The team is able to develop, test, and engage their robot in competition because of local sponsors. Oshkosh Corp, Muza Metal Products, Triangle Manufacturing, Pacur, CR Meyer and over 30 local businesses donate time, supplies and funds to allow these students to gain hands-on experience in all stages of research, development and competition.The students gain valuable insight to technical trades such as engineering, computer science and even marketing.

Ron Johnson of Pacur, sponsor of the Wave team, says that he’s proud of the Oshkosh-based team’s achievements. “Students are gaining first-hand experience that will help them succeed throughout their lives,” Johnson said. “In just its second year Oshkosh Wave Robotics is off to an impressive start.”

Wave Robotics is always looking for individuals who would be interested in mentoring these students, as well as any monetary and in-kind donations. For more information about FIRST, please go to www.usfirst.org. For more information about Wave Robotics, please go towww.waverobotics.com.

For team information, please contact:

Komal Mehta, President

Wave Robotics c/o Triangle Manufacturing

150 Libbey Ave.

Oshkosh, WI 54901