The competitors were agile, quick and accurate, and they didn’t waste time on a lot of trash talk.
They weren’t coded for that.
More than 50 teams of students brought the robots they built and programmed to the FIRST Robotics Orange County Regional hosted at UCI’s Bren Events Center from March 21 to 24.
The students were able to practice on the competition field in the first days of the regional, fine turning their robots. A machine shop was open to the teams.
Qualifying matches started Friday and the finals were Saturday afternoon. Teams earned points as their robots successfully completed tasks in video-game themed matches.
The robot made by the team from the Clockwork Oranges (4322), a team composed of Boy Scouts, Boys & Girls, and the Orange Public Library & History Center, climbs up the tower for extra points at the end of a match during the FIRST Robotics Orange County Regional at Bren Events Center at UC Irvine on Friday, March 23, 2018 in Irvine, Calif. (Photo by Josh Barber, Contributing Photographer)
Allan Miller of the Clockwork Oranges team shuttles his team’s robot back to the pit after a match during the FIRST Robotics Orange County Regional at Bren Events Center at UC Irvine on Friday, March 23, 2018 in Irvine, Calif. (Photo by Josh Barber, Contributing Photographer)
Eric Paulin of the Rectify team, right, high fives Karson Kane, left, of the Friarbots team after working together in a match during the FIRST Robotics Orange County Regional at Bren Events Center at UC Irvine on Friday, March 23, 2018 in Irvine, Calif. (Photo by Josh Barber, Contributing Photographer)
An overall view of a match during the FIRST Robotics Orange County Regional at Bren Events Center at UC Irvine on Friday, March 23, 2018 in Irvine, Calif. (Photo by Josh Barber, Contributing Photographer)
The robot from Beach Cities Robotics (294), composed of students from Redondo Union and Mira Costa High Schools, adds a block to a scale during the FIRST Robotics Orange County Regional at Bren Events Center at UC Irvine on Friday, March 23, 2018 in Irvine, Calif. The teams compete in matches where three teams work together to tip scales in favor of their alliance, among other objectives. (Photo by Josh Barber, Contributing Photographer)
The robot from Code Orange, a community team from Irvine, zips off during the automated portion of a match during the FIRST Robotics Orange County Regional at Bren Events Center at UC Irvine on Friday, March 23, 2018 in Irvine, Calif. (Photo by Josh Barber, Contributing Photographer)
The robot from Code Orange, a community team from Irvine, is loaded onto a sled after a match during the FIRST Robotics Orange County Regional at Bren Events Center at UC Irvine on Friday, March 23, 2018 in Irvine, Calif. (Photo by Josh Barber, Contributing Photographer)
Max Kowalski, a student from Servite, works on the Friarbots team robot after a match during the FIRST Robotics Orange County Regional at Bren Events Center at UC Irvine on Friday, March 23, 2018 in Irvine, Calif. (Photo by Josh Barber, Contributing Photographer)
A detailed view of a student tightening a bolt on the Friarbots robot, a team made up of students from Servite High School, Rosary, High School and Connelly School during the FIRST Robotics Orange County Regional at Bren Events Center at UC Irvine on Friday, March 23, 2018 in Irvine, Calif. (Photo by Josh Barber, Contributing Photographer)
Chase Blagden, second from left, and Max Kowalski, right, both Servite students on the Friarbots team talk with judges about the design and idea behind their robot during the FIRST Robotics Orange County Regional at Bren Events Center at UC Irvine on Friday, March 23, 2018 in Irvine, Calif. (Photo by Josh Barber, Contributing Photographer)
The team from Los Alamitos High School, the MEME team, wheels their robot out of their pit for a match during the FIRST Robotics Orange County Regional at Bren Events Center at UC Irvine on Friday, March 23, 2018 in Irvine, Calif. (Photo by Josh Barber, Contributing Photographer)
Evan Hartman, left, of the MEME Team, from Los Alamitos High School, talks strategy with Elisabeth Ann Harney, right, of the ACSC team, from Fountain Valley High School before a match during the FIRST Robotics Orange County Regional at Bren Events Center at UC Irvine on Friday, March 23, 2018 in Irvine, Calif. (Photo by Josh Barber, Contributing Photographer)
Sarah Lincoln, left, and Vincent Bartels, center, of the Iron Kodiaks team, from Mission Hills High School of San Marcos, work together as Lincoln programs for the automated phase of a match during the FIRST Robotics Orange County Regional at Bren Events Center at UC Irvine on Friday, March 23, 2018 in Irvine, Calif. (Photo by Josh Barber, Contributing Photographer)
Myah Austin, left, of Ramona Covent Secondary School of Alhambra, cheers for her team after a match during the FIRST Robotics Orange County Regional at Bren Events Center at UC Irvine on Friday, March 23, 2018 in Irvine, Calif. (Photo by Josh Barber, Contributing Photographer)