‘Wired Weirdos’ is the humorous name of one of Korah Collegiate\u2019s VEX robotics teams, but there\u2019s nothing weird about the team’s accomplishments.<\/p>\n
They were\u00a0sitting at number one in the world as of Wednesday in the VEX V5 Override, a VEX Robotics World Championships competition for high school students.<\/p>\n
The virtually-held competition, which began in September and continues to the spring, includes more than 180 teams from around the globe.<\/p>\n
Wired Weirdos, with its robot known as Hookshot, has edged out teams from the U.S. and China in the top five spots, completing robotic tasks within set time limits.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now we’re in the lead and significantly in the lead. It\u2019s pretty awesome,\u201d said Amanda Farrell, Korah\u2019s robotics coach and computer science teacher.<\/p>\n
Another Korah robotics team, known as Double Double, currently sits at second place in Canada and 14th in the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cWired Weirdos will physically go to the VEX Robotics World Championships in Las Vegas in April by winning the top 10 spot at the provincials in Markham in February. That’s very likely at this point,\u201d Farrell said.<\/p>\n
The team includes Cyan Rasheed, Pranshu Trivedi and Jimit Patel, who are in Grade 11, and Grade 12 student Alex Townsend.<\/p>\n
\u201cI come from a very techy family. Robotics was definitely a big option for me coming into Korah. As we go on through the years, we definitely want the program here to grow and make the Korah teams as big as those from the GTA and the States. That’s our goal,\u201d Rasheed said.<\/p>\n
While there are robotics competitions for elementary school students, Trivedi said he hadn\u2019t been involved robotics prior to starting high school.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got hooked on it in Grade 9 and now I don’t think I’m ever going to stop doing robotics,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Patel was introduced to robotics by his older brother.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started doing robotics for my team in Grade 9. It\u2019s a lot of fun and I\u2019ve made friends through it along the way,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe game we\u2019re playing for the World Championships is about stacking cups on pins. What our robot does is try to go as high up as possible and stack as many cups as it can,\u201d Rasheed said.<\/p>\n
The team members said the World Championships have been their most challenging competition to date.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a builder and lead programmer, I would say it is a bit harder for me,\u201d Rasheed said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s\u00a0a stacking game, so there are some more complicated mechatronics that come with the lifting mechanisms to pick up objects.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the coder that writes the software that moves the robot, it’s been difficult as I need to have a lot more different functions in the code and keep track of a lot more things, but it’s been fun across the board,\u201d Trivedi said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs the driver, I would say this competition is a little harder because this needs more skill and precision. I have to navigate through tall pins and not crash into them,\u201d Patel said.<\/p>\n
He added that being the robot’s driver is the most enjoyable job on the team.<\/p>\n
The team\u2019s success didn\u2019t come as a surprise to its members.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have high expectations for my team, but it’s also an amazing feeling to compete with other higher level teams. I\u2019m proud of the team. Robotics really shows teamwork and that\u2019s what robotics is as a whole,\u201d Rasheed said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI spent a solid 50 hours constantly debugging, testing, optimizing this code over and over. So, to finally hit that number one spot feels so surreal and unbelievable,\u201d Trivedi said.<\/p>\n
Now that the Korah team has reached number one, Trivedi said the group is aware that competing teams will be striving to take their top spot.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will keep on top of things and constantly push the bar even higher,\u201d Trivedi said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels wonderful. We’re a small northern team but we have managed to get to number one while GTA teams are still behind,\u201d Patel said.<\/p>\n
Robotics coach Farrell isn\u2019t surprised at the team\u2019s success either.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese guys, since day one and Grade 9, have progressively improved and pushed themselves and they’re where they’re at today because of the hard work they’ve put in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re here in Grade 11 and can you even imagine what\u2019s going to happen next year? It\u2019s definitely achievable for them to make it to the worlds in Las Vegas,\u201d Farrell said.<\/p>\n
As far as long-term career goals are concerned, Rasheed said he sees robotics in his future, Trivedi wants to go into the aerospace industry and Patel has his sights set on medicine.<\/p>\n
Rasheed and Trivedi said they are open to making the Sault their permanent home or a regular vacation spot after university, while Patel shared that he has his heart set on putting down roots here.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would love to come back and work at Sault Area Hospital and help this community. It\u2019s great here. It’s been loving to me and shown a lot of respect,\u201d Patel said.<\/p>\n
Patel said he\u2019s interested in becoming an optometrist or cardiologist.<\/p>\n
Robotics coach Farrell said the team is a source of inspiration for herself, Korah Collegiate and the community as a whole.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew from day one there was something special there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey speak to each other with respect, give each other feedback, they learn from one another because they all have skills. I really respect the dynamic ethic that they have and their work ethic,\u201d Farrell said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re here every day. I have to kick them out at the end of the day, otherwise we’d all be living here and doing robotics,\u201d Farrell said with a laugh.<\/p>\n
Robotics equipment and travelling to tournaments isn\u2019t cheap, and while the Algoma District School Board provides some funding to Korah\u2019s robotics program, Farrell said the high school would be grateful for any support from sponsors.<\/p>\n