In a show of engineering innovation and skill, the shiny precision-designed and programmed robot created by Boys Town Jerusalem’s FTC Robotics Team scored a triumph in the recent Israeli FTC Robotics regional competition.
Engineering excellence: a robot like no other
The robot – and its ace team – are now readying to compete in the upcoming national contest. BTJ’s daring 55-pound robot was the sole contestant to meet the challenge to swiftly fold itself up, climb, and neatly hang on the highest rung of the tall game court scaffold. Yet this engineering feat is just one of the team’s wonders.
A team of young innovators
Notably, BTJ’s current 14-member FTC (“First Tech Challenge”) team includes not only 10th –12th graders, but also 8th grader Amichai Romain, whose brilliance on BTJ’s FLL (“FIRST Lego League”) team earned his exceptional entry to the advanced league. Combining their talents, team members devote countless hours in BTJ’s Follender Robotics Center – day and night – to build a better robot.
A legacy of robotics success
Now in its 16th year, BTJ’s extracurricular robotics program has scored many victories, including the prestigious “Inspire Award” in 2023 when the team reached the semifinal Regional Championship in India. Yet every Robotics participant wins the real prizes of knowledge, innovation, confidence, friendship, and more. Today, former BTJ Robotics Team members excel in top IDF technological units and Israel’s burgeoning hi-tech arena.
Shaping the future of Israel’s tech leaders
“The FTC Robotics program teaches our boys that there are no bounds to experimenting and learning,” says CEO Yoni Strimber. “Working as a team, they learn from their achievements and from their failures. They help each other, while reaching out to voluntarily mentor new teams. When you see the fire, enthusiasm and respect in our students’ eyes as they learn the skills to create a super robot, you’re seeing the future leaders of Israel’s Startup Nation.”