Clarkston Team RUSH Robotics team traveled six hours for the Greater Pittsburgh Tournament in California, Pennsylvania.
The weekend was filled with excitement as Team RUSH, seeded second with a ranking record of 16-1-0, were regional winners and received the Autonomous award.
For the Autonomous award, which is sponsored by Ford, the judges shared it celebrated the team which has demonstrated consistent, reliable, high-performance robot operation during autonomously managed actions. “Evaluation is based on the robot’s ability to sense its surroundings, position itself or onboard mechanisms appropriately, and execute tasks,” said the judges. “While autonomy in factories is all about doing the same thing again and again, this team knows that the next generation requires adaptability, flexibility and speed. In fact, they combine multiple sensors and infuse autonomy throughout their strategy. With this approach, they score more at the same time without RUSHING. Congratulations to Team RUSH No. 27.”

After finishing the qualification matches, Team RUSH was ranked second with a record of 16-1-0. They were picked by the No. 1 seed, Team 3539 – Byting Bulldogs from Romeo, Michigan to play in the playoffs. The alliance was rounded out with team No. 695- Bison Robotics from Beachwood, Ohio. The three team alliance swept the tournament with an average score of 106 versus an average of 68 for their opponents throughout the entire afternoon, with the closest match the final match of 98-77.
“Something magical happened on the bus to Pittsburgh,” shared Kyle Hughes, team leader. “The team came together and with the two years off, I felt like we are finally back to where we were prior to COVID. Maybe even better than before COVID. Students worked together like I’ve never seen before. They were all positive, focused and the results were there. This is the first time we have won two robotics blue banners in a row since 1999. It is also the first time to win a regional since 2003. It’s been an amazing experience.”
For this year’s game, each team’s robot picks up nine-inch tennis balls on the field then they shoot it into the middle hoop called the “Hub.” At the end, the robot climbs uneven parallel bars.
“It’s pretty cool to see these robots grab the ball and pull themselves up,” said Hughes.
Team RUSH 27 is 32-2-1 in official play in 2022. They head to Troy for their next tournament set for Friday, April 1 and Saturday, April 2.
For more information about Team RUSH, visit teamrush27.net. For more information on team data, please visit https://www.thebluealliance.com/team/27.

  Robotics, Team RUSH