The past two weeks have been a roller coaster of emotions for Rochester High School robotics program members.
Competing in the SkillsUSA Washington robotics urban search and rescue competition earlier this month, the team swept the podium, taking first, second and third place in the state competition. The drone team took first place as well.
As the team prepared to receive their medals the next morning, they discovered the truck they traveled to the competition in — along with an estimated $10,000 worth of robotics equipment, including the champion robot, Vladimir, and three drones — had all been stolen.
“The school district put a tracker on the truck, so we were able to locate it, and me and another adviser went out and confirmed it, and had the police come,” Rochester robotics program adviser Paul Kuss said. “When we found the truck, it was empty.”
It’s likely the thieves were targeting the truck without knowing what was stored in it, according to police, and while the truck has been recovered, there is still no sign of Vladimir or the drones.
Robotics equipment wasn’t the only thing lost, as the associated notebooks that contained the robots design and specification notes are also missing.
Kuss added the missing notes are actually the biggest loss for the team.
“They’ve been working for six months-plus on notebooks, because part of the competition is they have to document everything they do. Countless hours of work, and they probably were the first things that got thrown away (by the thieves),” Kuss said.
Vladimir was modeled after bomb disposal robots and was programmed to do many of the same tasks, including opening and inspecting objects and maneuvering through courses.
While the original Vladimir is most likely lost for good, the team has already begun rebuilding a new version. They are now preparing for national competition.
The team is just under six weeks away from traveling to Atlanta, Georgia, for the SkillsUSA 2023 National Leadership & Skills Conference in June.
Despite having to spend money the team had raised to travel to Georgia on building a new Vladimir, public support and donations for the team have already been pouring in, Kuss said.
“Outreach has just been amazing. That has probably been the most rewarding thing, if you can say that, about this situation,” Kuss said. “The support of our community, as well as people as far (away) as Florida, who have responded and helped, has been amazing.”
With the national competition now weeks away, the team doesn’t have much time for more fundraising as they have to concentrate on ensuring their robot is ready to compete again.
Those interested in donating can contact Rochester High School at 360-273-5534.
Additionally, a GoFundMe page has been set up by Eric Meyn, father of one of the Rochester High School robotics program members, to help fund the team’s upcoming trip to nationals. To donate, visit https://gofund.me/d2d4ab93.
