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High school students from across Texas and New Mexico brought industrial-sized robots of their own design to Dripping Springs High School on April 3-4 for the FIRST Robotics Competition Dripping Springs district event.
The Spring Konstant, Team 6357 from Dripping Springs High School, received the Autonomous Award sponsored by Google.org. The award recognizes the team that demonstrates the most consistent and reliable robot performance during the autonomous phase of match play, when robots must sense their surroundings, position themselves, and execute tasks without driver input. Judges cited the team's robot for its speed, accuracy, and advanced autonomous system, as well as the team's overall cohesion.
Recoil, Team 9577 from Innovation Treehouse, received the Engineering Inspiration Award sponsored by SpaceX. The award recognizes outstanding efforts to promote engineering within a team's school, organization, and broader community. Judges noted that despite the team's small size, it has established a distinct presence in its area and is actively working to expand STEM education and build lasting community connections.
The event was sponsored by Dripping Springs ISD and Tokyo Electron. The FIRST Robotics Competition gives student teams a matter of weeks to design, build, and program robots capable of competing in a structured, alliance-based game. The machines can weigh up to 120 pounds and are built for fast-paced head-to-head match play, with volunteers from the STEM industry serving as mentors throughout the build season and at competition events.
