Students from Pomfret School are finalists in a national coding competition. The group of teenagers engineered a robot that sprays cleaning solution and wipes surfaces.
The competition, TI Codes by Texas Instruments, required students to design a machine that automates a process related to health, wellness or medicine during the pandemic.
The students engineered a Germ Eliminating Rinsing Machine (GERM). The robot sprays cleaning solution and wipes a surface down. The students had to write their own code to make it work, which they had never done before.
“I got some of my lunch friends and said- hey guys do you want to do this project and they were like- sure!” said Delia Bousquet, a freshman at Pomfret School.
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The robot has telescoping arms that change length depending on the table size. The students also decorated GERM so that it can double as a center piece on a table.
"We took a stab at it and I think we did pretty good," said Anna Davis, who is also a freshman.
After several rounds of competition, the students were named as finalists. They are the only group from Connecticut in the top five.
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Their engineering teacher, Josh Lake, said he is ecstatic for the students. He said the students worked very hard on the project.
“To see that in their eyes, I mean that is a big part of why I teach," said Lake.
The students said they were excited to create a solution during the pandemic.
"Be proactive and help make a difference," said Davis.
"You should always take opportunities when you have them," added Bousquet.
If the team wins the contest, they win more coding equipment from Texas Instruments to help them with future projects.
Voting closes Thursday, June 17 at 11:59 p.m.