Well, my addiction to robotics continues as the fabled Dos Pueblos Robotics Team 1717, led by my grandson Nicholas Perez as the ace driver, has been ranked number one in the world out of 2,332 robots. The team is from Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta, California.
It was a splendid finale to a bittersweet season for the team. Team 1717, led by my grandson Nicholas, had breezed through the regionals and competed flawlessly in the early rounds in the national competition in St. Louis, but encountered mysterious communication problems in the final rounds and never made it to the championship round. The DP spokesman said, "clearly there's a difference between winning the competition and being number one in the world."
The 1717 drive team pose in the photo with basketball great Kareem Abdul Jabaar. From left to right: Lane Fuller, Nick De Heras, Jamil Abo-Shaeer, Coach Amir Abo-Shaeer, and Nicholas Perez.
Read more about the competition here and view a video of all the action below.