But the skills they’re learning throughout the process go much further than just building robots.

It’s a worldwide competition and all of the participants that take part are given the same kit to work from. Not only do they have to build the robot but they also have to detail the construction steps and will be grilled on that process by judges at competitions.

The team named “I can’t pronounce that,” one of four teams from Warren, made it to the finals at their first match, taking home the design award.

Back to the finals in the second tournament where 38 teams participated, the team finished the deal in the finals and brought home first place. Organizers “come up with a new game every year,” Arthur Anderson, technology instructor and club adviser at Warren Area High School explained.

Times Observer photo by Josh Cotton Liam Ferry, left, and Donald Anderson, members of the champion “I can’t pronounce that” team work on a new feature for the robot during a recent Robotics Club gathering.

The club is also supported by the Innovation Institute for Tomorrow, Inc. in Franklin.

“They help out a bunch of schools with game elements and registration fees,” Anderson said. “They really open up the food for our students around here.”

This year’s game is called “Over-Under.” Each team’s robots have to move items around the course, scoring points by carrying them over — or placing them under — obstacles.

Each match is two minutes. The first 15 seconds require that the robot be coded to run itself. The last 1:45 are driver controlled.

“That’s when things pick up,” Anderson said. “Robots are flying around all over the place.”

Edward Anderson fixes a stuck screw during Robotics Club last week.

The champion team has work to do.

There’s a state competition — they’ve already qualified for that — and then Worlds.

“There’s a lot of networking that goes on at these competitions,” Anderson explained. “It’s a whole engineering experience.”

The interviews on the design process are particularly valuable in Anderson’s view.

“There are always interviews at every competition,” he said. “It’s really good for the kids to be able to do the design work. They’re talking with adults, telling them what they’ve done; talking with kids from other schools.

“That networking part is pretty nice.”