Team 1675 dazzles Robotics Team 1675 celebrates their win at the Midwest Regional Competition in Chicago, 

MILWAUKEE - When it comes to robots, Team 1675 knows its stuff, having won last spring’s Midwest Regional’s in Chicago and traveling to the championships in Atlanta.

The team has many goals. They wish to build a robot which other teams want, along with gaining more sponsors.

“A continuing goal of ours is to ‘turn kids on’ to science and technology both in our school and in the community,” said science teacher and robotics adviser Paul Jutrzonka.

Every year, the team has six weeks to build a robot that must meet certain requirements that the organization, FIRST, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, gives teams. The robot must weigh no more than 120 pounds; and be able to accomplish certain tasks.

After the six weeks, the team has Ship-Day, when it ships the robot off to the first competition site.

Every season has more than 40 competitions, called regionals, held around the country. Each regional has more than 50 teams participating.

“Our team, depending on funds, normally goes to two regionals.

This year we’re going to one in Milwaukee and one in Minnesota. Then whoever wins at the regionals gets to go to championships in Atlanta,” team member and junior Kathryn Widen said.

The championships in Atlanta have over 150 teams participating.

The team must also write a submission of no more than 10,000 characters, focusing on what the team does in the community to spread information about FIRST. The submissions allow teams to compete for the Chairman’s award, which honors the team that represents FIRST the best.

Team members demonstrate the robot at schools and businesses around Milwaukee. Team 1675 also participates in the VEX league where students build smaller robots than the ones in FIRST.

VEX competitions have two parts: league nights, matches with no awards, and a one-day tournament. Out of the three VEX teams at the school, one won the Nov. 7 VEX tournament.

The team is complex. They build robots, but there is so much more to the team. “I guess I want kids to realize that this isn’t a dinky science fair project,” Widen said.