Alex Udanis studied the screws holding "Aftershock" together.
The pieces he and his friends were attaching to the reigning "battle bot" would help the machine flip and destroy any opponent in its path.
"We just try to build them the best (we) can," said Udanis, 18, a junior at Plum Senior High School. "We just take all the weak points and try to improve on them."
Udanis was among hundreds of students who tried to crush the competition at Saturday's Southwestern PA BotsIQ tournament at Century III Mall. Sparks flew and metal crunched as Plum won its third consecutive title.
"It's amazing how quick some of these bouts are, as the robots keep getting more and more sophisticated," said Terri Campbell, vice president of operations at the Private Industry Council of Westmoreland-Fayette and a member of the management committee for BotsIQ. "We're finding that in each match, one robot is really dominating, and in some cases, destroying."
In its fourth year, the competition pitting student-built robots against one another has grown from six teams to nearly 50 from 40 schools. This year also included a preliminary round, which narrowed the teams to 16. An additional 16 showed up for grudge matches, short bouts in which teams fought to the "death."
"It's a great experience for these kids," said Zac Hamm, a physics teacher at Serra Catholic High School in McKeesport. "They're getting in there and working on these bots ... under pressure."
Serra Catholic finished second last year, but did not qualify for the finals this year. Instead, Hamm brought his students out for a round of grudge matches with "Junipero's Juggernaut."
The same was true for the team behind Montour's "Inverto Destructo."
Next year, Hamm's advanced physics and engineering class will design two or three robots. He already has 20 students enrolled and expects more.
"These programs are really popular," said Rick Volker, an energy and technology teacher at Plum. "It really lends to problem-solving skills along with design. And the kids are all self-driven."
While it's mostly testosterone that flows through these events, girls are welcome. Katelynn Marmura was the only girl on Montour's team and enjoyed getting to work with the guys.
"I've always liked engineering and I like being the only girl," said Marmura, 16, of Kennedy. "It's so cool to get to see all the parts flying, and you really get treated like one of the team."
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