Sammamish Robotics Team Places Second at Microsoft Conference

Twelve youth robotics teams from the area competed Aug. 13 at the annual Space Elevator Conference at the Conference Center in Redmond. Sammamish-based claimed second in one category.

RoboQuest was a robotics competition in which robots built by youth teams from around the Puget Sound area vied to climb a 15-foot ribbon as quickly as possible while carrying weights simulating satellite payloads, Carolyn Davids, Serve Team spokesperson, said.

With 12 teams competing in three different categories, the competition was fierce between the robots but friendly among the kids, Davids said. Students collaborated and competed with each other throughout the day and when the final tallies were totaled, the winners were as follows: In the (Almost) Anything Goes class, team W.A.S.A.B.I., from Bellevue, took first place with Woodinville’s Team 417, Swerve Robotics, coming in second.

In the LEGO Only Pre-built class, Bellevue-based Mindstorm Masters, came in first, with second place taken by The Brick Heads, a team from Duvall. And in the LEGO Build on the Spot class, first place went to the Star Climbers team from Bellevue, with Brit Bots taking second place. The Sammamish team placed first in a state competition in January.

—Information from a Space Elevator Conference news release