East High School is sending two robotics teams to state

SIOUX CITY (KTIV) - Sioux City East High School is sending two robotics teams to the state championship yet again.

The teams are Epsilon Robotics and VOID Robotics.

This is the fifth time VOID Robotics will go to state in the last six years. Team member James DeBates says there are always ways to improve their robot.

“And there’s always something you can fix. Whether it’s code because something just didn’t quite line up or whether it’s engineering because something isn’t turning all the way or isn’t working how it’s supposed to,” said DeBates.

It’s the sixth consecutive trip to state for Epsilon Robotics.

They were crowned state champions last year, and earned the opportunity to compete in the World Championship in Houston, Texas.

They finished their season ranked 79th out of more than 7-thousand teams worldwide, putting them in the top one percent.

Epsilon’s Brayden Fawcett says the team morale keeps the competition light-hearted and friendly.

“You go to competitions, and you see some teams that get there and take themselves super seriously. And like obviously it’s really important but I just like how we can come in here and have fun. And, we can kind of mess around a little bit. But, at the end of the day we still compete and are really good overall.”

The winning team is determined by how many points their robot gets in “The Game.”

This year’s game theme is “Into the Deep.”

Robotics coach, Trevor Miller, says their game plan is to enter the state tournament with a positive mindset.

“We don’t just want to be one of the good teams in Iowa we want to be the best team because we actually strive to be one of the top teams in the world,” said Miller

“The Game” Rules:

The first 30 seconds of the match the robots operate without guidance from their drivers, scoring samples into baskets or nets.

The remaining two minutes, drivers take control of their robot to collect and sort samples from under the submersible in the center of the field.

Drivers can then pick up samples delivered to the observation zone and add a hanging clip to create a specimen. The specimens are returned to the observation zone where the robots pick them back up and score them on the chambers located on the submersible.

As time runs out, robots can either park in the observation zone or climb the rungs on the submersible to ascend out of the deep.

The team with the most points wins the match.

Cheer on area schools competing in the state championship this weekend in Coralville.

Event Information:

Fri., Feb. 28, 2025 at 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Sat., March 1, 2025 at 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Xtream Arena and Greenstate Family Fieldhouse

200 E. 9th Street, Coralville, IA

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