As the Arkansas Tech University robotics team takes aim on a return trip to the VEX U Robotics World Championship, the group is bolstered by the confidence provided by past success and the support of a new sponsor.
“I would say that this year we have a lot stronger team than previous years,” said Hunter Mathis of Hope, president of the ATU robotics student organization. “We have gained a bunch of new members who all have a ton of experience. This is the first year as a team we’ve had competition-ready bots by January. We appreciate each and every sponsorship opportunity because it allows us to be the best version of ourselves and allows us to help achieve our goals without having to limit anything we do.”
The latest sponsor for the ATU robotics team is Phillips Medisize, which has pledged $1,000 per year to help the team offset the costs of building robots and traveling to competitions. Members of the ATU robotics team visited the Phillips Medisize location in Maumelle in mid-February for a check presentation and tour of the facility.
“Robotics allows these ATU students to develop a lot of hands-on, practical skills,” said Stacy Evans, new product introduction manager at the Phillips Medisize location in Maumelle. “That will make a big difference in terms of preparing them to work with automation and work with presses. Bringing them on-site to our facility helps them bridge the gap between what they are learning in the classroom and seeing the types of real-life industries where they could work in the future.”
The ATU robotics team reached the semifinals of a VEX U competition in Auburn, Ala., in January. Last year, the team advanced through the qualification stage to reach the elimination round at the VEX U Robotics World Championship and complete the 2023-24 robotics season with a top-4 global skills ranking.
ATU will take aim on a berth in the 2025 VEX U Robotics World Championship during a tournament in Houston, Texas, on Friday, Feb. 21, and Saturday, Feb. 22.
The ATU robotics team made headlines at the 2024 Houston, Texas, qualifying tournament by posting what was, at the time, the highest skills challenge score of any collegiate robotics team in the United States during the 2023-24 academic year.
“Just like always, it’s a group of very hard-working and dedicated kids,” said Jacob Weidenfeller, ATU instructor of electrical engineering, lab director and advisor for the ATU robotics team, when asked about the 2024-25 team. “The team started very early this season in CAD (computer-aided design), and immediately started building when the fall semester started. There are a lot of custom-designed and manufactured parts on our robots this year that our builders spent countless hours designing, 3D printing, testing and re-designing. The team is very grateful for and relies heavily on the rapid prototyping tools available in the ATU lab.”
In addition to Mathis, other members of the 2024-25 ATU robotics team are Brady Bray of Greenwood, Preston Diehl of Conway, Jason Easterling of Hope, Brandon Gallegos of Hope, Bo Allen Huey of Conway, Kavin Kannangara of Bentonville, Juan Leon of Hope, Judit Morales-Mora of Russellville, Ryan Nanthalangsy of Sheridan, Everett Otis of Conway, Brody Peterson of Bentonville, Braden Pierce of Bryant and Cooper Stober of Bentonville.
“I’m especially proud that the ATU robotics club continues to make a name for itself and is one of the main reasons some of the members on the team came to ATU,” said Weidenfeller. “I want to be able to keep growing the ATU robotics club and the outreach that we do. Our outreach includes supplying equipment to tournaments across the state, helping set up and run those events and organizing and running all four Arkansas State VEX Robotics Championships here at ATU every March. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for how much this group of students has helped me with these efforts for the past three years.”
For more information about the ATU robotics team, send e-mail to jweidenfeller@atu.edu.
