Students in the Island Trees High School Robotic Club have just won a $5,000 grand prize in the Incredible Bionic Man Challenge, beating robotics teams from around the country.
The Incredible Bionic Man Challenge—sponsored by the Smithsonian Channel and Cablevision—was part of a STEM initiative to create a bionic body part out of common household items. Rising to the challenge, the Island Trees team submitted a two minute video showcasing their efforts to design, build and demonstrate a robotic arm-hand combination, which vaulted them into a finalist position.
Selected as one of four teams to compete in the finals, the Island Trees students squared off against students from Bloomfield High School in Bloomfield, N.J., Eastern Technical High School in Baltimore, Md., and Montgomery Blair High School in Montgomery Md.
On Dec. 12, Captain Marc Lubniewski and the entire team including Matt Bacotti, Rob McCoy, Ben Wiener, and Chris Schmidt attended the final judging and award ceremonies at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. At the ceremony, which was simulcast in 27 county Cablevision service areas, the students were treated to a visit from The Incredible Bionic Man, fresh off his two month stay at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.
To watch the winning video from the Island Trees Robotic Club, visit www.incrediblebionicmanchallenge.com.
— Submitted By Island Trees School District
