Charlotte-based student group heading to robotics championship

A Charlotte high school robotics team is bringing its heavy-duty recycling robot to a national competition this month.

YETI Robotics, a community team of about 30 high-school students from public, private, charter and home schools around Charlotte, secured a spot at the FIRST Robotics Championships competition in St. Louis.

The team’s 6-foot-tall robot, Frostbyte, will take on machines from around the world in a competition based on how quickly they can stack recycling bins.

“These robots are very fast and very big,” said Amber Benton, the marketing mentor for the team.

YETI Robotics is in its fifth year as a team, and meets at Central Piedmont Community College.

The team competed in regional competitions this year in Georgia and in Raleigh, where it secured a coveted Chairman’s Award, Benton said. The award recognized the team’s innovative work using computer-aided design to put the robot together, and its community work. The team is involved in World Refugee Day events.

The national competition begins April 22.

This story was originally published April 2, 2015 at 3:34 PM with the headline "Charlotte-based student group heading to robotics championship."