OAK HILL, Fla. – Some Volusia County students got an up-close lesson on Friday from leading experts in robotic technology.
Team Kraken, from the television show "BattleBots," visited Burns Science and Technology Charter School, where the elementary and middle school students participate in robotics and technology classes.
"You learn how to code things and robots and you go on computers and you have to complete certain missions," fifth-grade student Caleb Tracy said.
The students are involved in hands-on lessons on topics ranging from building drones and designing robots to learning how to code computer programs.
"You've got to find out the right way to do it 'cause if you mess up it could make a different shape," fourth-grade student Gabe Privat explained as he demonstrated the coding program.
The students are learning from the best. On Friday, they got a special lesson from Team Kraken, which is competing on this season of "BattleBots," a television show that features combat robotics competitions in which teams fight to have the last robot standing.
STEM Director and robotics teacher Jill Mucci is a member of the team.
"They know about the 'BattleBots.' They love the show, and then they have face-to-face hands-on (interaction) with their favorite roboteers," Mucci said.
Mucci said the visit from Team Kraken was a great opportunity for her students to ask questions and learn from the experts.
"I really want to know how they build the robots," fifth-grade student Maddy Hunt said.
"I asked them how much it weighs, how fast it can go, what it's made out of," Tracy said.
The students are learning the science behind the robots and take what they see on television into their classrooms.
Even though their projects are much smaller, the challenges are just as big.
"It's really hard. I've still been working on it for, like, three weeks and it's not working," fourth-grade student Kylee Malcolm said about programming her robot.
Mucci said listening to Team Kraken discuss its successes and failures is a lesson that goes beyond circuits and coding.
"It's a process. It's never an end. You just keep going and improving and there's nothing you can't do," Mucci said.
Mucci said the students will begin designing and building their own robots during thw=e next school year.