There is a square practice field marked in blue painter s tape on the floor of a classroom at the W. D. & Mary Baker Smith Career Center in Lafayette. On Monday, a 20-pound metal robot navigates the field, rolling on its wheels toward flat orange rings that it will scoop up with a silver arm.
It sucks up the ring and launches it out toward a three-part goal, aiming each time for either the low, middle or high hole to earn points. The FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) robot also can pick up and carry a wobble item from one square to another.