Upper St. Clair’ s TeraBridges robotics team earned international recognition after redesigning a mobility device that gives young children with disabilities greater independence.
CHANGING LIVES,
One Robot at a Time
BY NICOLE TAFE
Upper St. Clair’ s TeraBridges robotics team earned international recognition after redesigning a mobility device that gives young children with disabilities greater independence.
For the students on Upper St. Clair’ s TeraBridges team, robotics has never been just about winning competitions. Sure, they love building robots and putting their engineering skills to the test— but they’ re equally passionate about using those same skills to make life a little easier for someone else.
That mission recently earned the team international recognition.
Team TeraBridges( FTC 18603) recently took home the Grand Prize in the Tikkun Olam Makers( TOM) Global Innovation Challenge, an international competition that challenges participants to create affordable technology for people living with disabilities.
Even more impressive? They were the only high school team to receive the top award— competing against university
TeraBridges students successfully tested their 3D printed motorized TMT design with Elias at Child’ s Way. From L to R: Aaron Jiang, Rohan Inampudi, Ritu Gupta, Dr. Rama Bala. Photo Credit: Child’ s Way staff
students, professional engineers and innovators from around the world.
“ This achievement highlights the dedication and creativity these students brought to solving a real-world challenge, while reflecting TeraBridges’ mission to empower students to apply STEM skills not only in competition but also in service to the community,” says TeraBridges coach Sarah Beitler.
Their winning project centered on the Toddler Mobility Trainer( TMT), a device that helps young children with physical disabilities move independently.
Working alongside Child’ s Way— a Pittsburgh organization that serves medically fragile children— the students saw an opportunity to improve the existing mobility trainer. By adding motors, joystick controls and technology
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