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    Tickle College of Engineering

    • FIRST Robotics Powers Up at the Arena

    The FIRST Robotics Smoky Mountain Regional competition filled UT’s Thompson-Boling Arena with the hustle and bustle of numerous high-school robotics teams for FIRST Robotics Power Up March 21–24, 2018.

    The video-game themed competition had each team operating three robots per round in a race against the clock and their opponents. Excitement was in the air as teams and robots tested their limits and the fans cheered on.

    FIRST Robotics Smoky Mountain Regional
    Robots are at the ready for a round of competition at the FIRST Robotics Smoky Mountain Regionals on March 23, 2018.
    Competitors guided their machines to load items onto various scales on the arena floor.
    Competitors guided their machines to load items onto various scales on the arena floor.
    Competitors and their fans chose a variety of costumes to get into the Power Up spirit.
    Competitors and their fans chose a variety of costumes to get into the Power Up spirit.
    Teams lined up to await their turn in the Power Up arena.
    Teams lined up to await their turn in the Power Up arena.
    A competing robot stretches to place a block on the big scale.
    A competing robot stretches to place a block on the big scale.
    "Steampunk" fashions were a hit among many FIRST teams.
    “Steampunk” fashions were a hit among many FIRST teams.
    Teams controled their robots from behind protective plexiglass barriers.
    Teams controlled their robots from behind protective plexiglass barriers.
    This red & black tartaned team gets their entry onto the playing field.
    This red & black tartaned team gets their entry onto the playing field.
    Each round ended with one of each team's robots lifting itself onto the center tower of the playing field.
    Each round ended with one of each team’s robots lifting itself onto the center tower of the playing field.
    The precision block-placing abilities of the robots was impressive.
    The precision block-placing abilities of the robots was impressive.

    Photos by Randall Brown.