Photo Credit: Susan Wachtler

The Kelliher High School robotics team has made it to the 2022 World Meet that will take place in Houston, Texas next week.

It is not often that a team of four from a small town like Kelliher, Minnesota makes it to a world meet – at least, that’s what the team (also known as The Bog Bots) thought anyway. This team of four, labeled #6453, has been literally gearing up for this year’s Rapid React Meet, sponsored by Boeing.

This year’s theme is called “Rapid React” which is based on items found on airplanes. There are items like cargo (the balls the robots manipulate), lower hubs, upper hubs, hangars that robots climb, and a tarmac. The robot is specifically built to interact with such items.

Kelliher’s robot this year is called Captain Jack, named after parts from their previous robot were “pirated” to build their new robot for the meet. Captain Jack weighs about 110 pounds, just under the maximum weight of 125.

Team members Evan Waldo, Cooper Brambrink, Dakota Swanson, and Gregor Pederson are all very excited to be a part of the event, as this is their first year as a team and a school to make it to the meet.

The world meet will take place April 20-23, 2022 in Houston, TX. The Bog Bots will also compete in the state tournament at Williams Arena in Minneapolis this year on May 7.

By — Emma Hudziak