Disclaimer: 42Fifty staff member Jessica Van Vooren is on the Gear it Forward team, but she did not participate in the writing of this article.
On Sat., March 16, the robotics team, Team 2338: Gear it Forward, won the Engineering Inspiration Award at the Central Illinois Regional competition. This award qualified the team to participate in the Robotics World Championship in Houston, TX.
The World Championship, which takes place between April 17 and April 20, will feature some of the most skilled and accomplished teams across the globe.
“I look forward to the experience of competing among the best in the world,” said team captain and OH senior Luke Bohnert. “There are some truly amazing teams out there, and to see what and how they accomplished a successful robot is always a fun experience.”
When looking at a singular competition, each year is unlike the next; therefore, each member of Gear it Forward must be extremely intuitive and creative.
“Teams get 6 weeks to build a 140 lb, steel and aluminum robot to compete in a different task each year. This year’s task is to shoot foam donut-like objects called notes into a small opening high in the air and a[n even] bigger opening in a wall,” said Bohnert.
With new members joining, the team has been able to grow their talent with new minds and ideas when building the robot, which can be found here.
“Throughout pre-season and on-season, we’ve had to train a lot of new members how to use various power tools,” said marketing captain Oswego East junior Gavin Macanip. “With all of their new-found skills as well as the skills of previous team members, we worked together to create a robot that has been able to perform well.”
Gear it Forward has worked extremely hard to get to this point throughout the year, and their dedication to their craft has not gone unnoticed.
“These last few months have been filled with nothing but hard work and dedication from our team members, all working towards a common goal. Last year we finished ranked 39th in the world, and the goal this year is to top that,” said Bohnert. The team’s current rankings can be found here.
Not only has their hard work resulted in the opportunity to go to Houston, but students like Bohnert have shared that amazing connections and bonds have been formed throughout the year.
“I’ve met some of the smartest people I know working on the team, and it’s an amazing experience to work with world-class engineers to put together such a fantastic robot,” said Bohnert.
Hi, my name is Allison and this is my first year in Digital Journalism. I am in multiple clubs such as BIONIC, Commotion, and multiple different honor societies! I am so excited to be a new member on the 42Fifty team.
AMAZING!! This is such great writing, so proud of Gear It Forward.