Hawaii students take top honors in robotics competitions

HONOLULU—Hawaii students took their knowledge of technology to the international stage and came out on top. Hawaii student robotics teams from Waialua and Mililani captured national and world championship titles in July. 

The Waialua High School Robotics took top honor at the Indianapolis Robotics Invitational (IRI) on Saturday. The Indianapolis off-season FIRST Robotics tournament was available to teams by invitation only and featured 79 of the nation’s top high school robotics teams. 

Waialua’s team, “Hawaiian Kids,” was part of a three-team alliance, with the “Beach Bots” from Los Angeles, California and “Las Guerillas” from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Waialua’s team was Hawaii’s only robotics team to be invited to compete in the 2010 IRI. McKinley High School previously competed in IRI in 2009.

And last week, a team of five students from Hanalani School in Mililani were named the tournament champions of the International Botball Tournament held in Edwardsville, Illinois.

Competing among 64 teams from around the globe, including Kuwait, Poland, and teams from across the United States, Hanalani’s team was undefeated as they entered the final rounds of competition and finished number one in the seeding rounds.