BANGOR, Maine — Some Maine high schoolers sure know what they're doing when it comes to robotics, and some have earned themselves a spot in the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas.
A team of all girls from John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor have out-smarted and out-designed their competition. From Thursday, May 5, to Saturday, May 7, the team will represent Maine as they take on the best of the best in robotics.
"We're really excited," team member Samantha Ismail said. "We've put a lot of work into this year, and we're really proud that we've made it to this point."
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Every week after school, Ismail and her teammates Shannon Murphy and Julianna Clark work on perfecting their robot.
The team said it's ready to put its robot named Trolls to the test.
As Murphy explained to NEWS CENTER Maine, Trolls has no plans to throw any punches at this week's world championship.
"A common misconception with robotics is like it's battle bots," she said.
Instead of fighting, the robot will be paired with another team, creating an alliance to take on two others and compete in two-minute matches.
"As the driver, I will drive the robot to score points against the other alliance for my alliance," Murphy said.
Win or lose, Clark shared she thinks the world championship will provide her and her team with new opportunities.
"Just to like see other teams from different places and other countries," she said. "You learn how to communicate, how to solve problems."
"It's our best team this season," John Bapst's head coach, Michael Murphy, said. "They've won more awards than any other team in the entire state."
Teens from Thornton Academy and York High School will also be heading to Dallas to compete in the VEX Robotics World Championship.
