‘More than robots’: Robotics competition in Rockford puts tech and engineering skills on display

July 21, 2022|By Mary Sisk|In 815 News, Local, Rockford, Top Stories, Sports
Members of the Winnovation team, a joint robotics team of Winnebago and Pecatonica high school students, watch robots Thursday, July 21, 2022, during an exhibition showcasing the Rapid React game at the Winnovation Bot Shop, 110 N. Pecatonica St., Winnebago. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)
By Mary Sisk
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The Rock River Robotics Off-season Competition will mark its 10-year anniversary with a meet this Saturday, and the organization hopes the event will inspire more people to join.

The competition combines sports and technology, challenging students to put their tech and engineering skills to the test to build and control a robot that can outperform the others.

Now that students have built the bots, organizers hope to rebuild their ranks after numbers dropped during the coronavirus pandemic.

“We had a year of not being able to meet in person,” said Karen Hill, co-chairperson of R2OC. “We really, really want you to come to this so you can see why we do all of this stuff.”

This year’s event features 32 teams coming from local schools and surrounding states. Scholarship money is available for participating students.

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Andrew Cruz, a Belvidere North High School student on the Flaming Monkeys robotics team, makes an adjustment Thursday, July 21, 2022, to his team’s robot after an exhibition at the Winnovation Bot Shop in Winnebago. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

The game that will be played at the event is called Rapid React, where students designed and control a robot that can pick up inflatable balls and shoot them into a central bucket, or hub. The bot then climbs within its hangar to end the match. The objective is to score more points than the opposing teams by landing more balls in the hub and climbing higher in the hanger.

These events are more than just competitions for the students, however. They also encourage community service and teamwork.

Hannah Jacobson, who graduated from Winnebago High School in spring, joined Winnovation, the school’s joint robotics team with Pecatonica High School, in her freshman year.

Carson Jacobson, left, and Jonah Banister joke around Thursday, July 21, 2022, while preparing their team’s robot for the Rapid React game at the Winnovation Bot Shop in Winnebago. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

Through R2OC and her school she was able to compete in robotics events and felt grateful for all the skills she developed.

“The motto first is ‘more than robots,'” Jacobson, 18, said. “It builds relationships and skills, and it also makes our community better. We do a lot of outreach and community service too.”

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Rock River Robotics Off-season Competition, or R2OC, was founded in 2012 by five local robotics teams: Flaming Monkeys, Metalheads, Rockford Robotics, Stateline Robotics and Winnovation.

Know before you go | R2OC

Jackson Newell, a Pecatonica High School graduate and captain of the Winnovation robotics team, gives instructions Thursday, July 21, 2022, during an event at the Winnovation Bot Shop in Winnebago. (Photo by Kevin Haas/Rock River Current)

Where: Rock Valley College PE Center, 3301 N. Mulford Road, Rockford

When: 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday, July 23

Admissions: Free

More information: For more information visit r2oc.org

This article is by Mary Sisk. Email her at msisk@rockrivercurrent.com or follow her on Instagram at @maryrrcurrent