PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) — Wings of Fire, the robotics team at International Technology Academy, is trying to get to Houston, Texas, for the FIRST Championship.
Sadly, the team is facing financial difficulties that are making it a challenge for the group of students to go.
“Registration for the event is about $6,000,” the team's mentor Justin Hawke said. “The bus itself can cost anywhere between 15 to 20 thousand (dollars) and then, we have to pay for hotels for three nights, quite a few rooms, that's probably another $10,000 there. And then, shipping the robot, sometimes, it's around $1,000.”
Web extra: Team mentor Justin Hawke explains more about the robotics program and the challenges
Izabela Larkins is a senior on Wings of Fire.
"Making it to the world championship is really big for me personally," Larkins said.
Larkins said she has been looking forward to competing their robot, Phoenix 4.0, in the championship since the group designed it.
Hawke said the students are so determined to get to the competition. They are planning to leave on a bus the day before it starts.
“They’ll drive on a bus through the night,” he said. “Twenty-six-hour drive.”
The FIRST Championship begins next Wednesday. It is known as the international event for youth interested in robotics.
Hawke said the team spent eight weeks building Phoenix 4.0. And according to the robot’s driver, this is the type of robot that could be used in warehouse facilities.
“They have to move a lot of boxes and place a lot of things in different areas,” said Bryce Brown, who drives the robot by remote control. “So this robot is perfect for that, especially with the camera, you don’t even have to be in the same room to operate it.”
Student David Tostado Loredo does all of the software programming for the robot.
"We use this computer programming to convert, like kind of human understandable lines of code into stuff that the robot actually does,” Loredo said.
Web extra: Student David Tostado Loredo explains programming of Phoenix 4.0
Hawke said these roles are crucial for the competition.
“I was a driver on the team actually back in 2003,” Hawke said. “That's the last time we won a world championship.”
This year, Hawke thinks the team has what it takes to take home the championship again if they can get to the competition.
"It's a bit of a logistical nightmare trying to get the kids, the robot, everything there in one piece,” Hawke said.
The team has created a GoFundMe page for anyone who wants to help support them.
