Asheville area GLITCH Robotics team qualifies for FIRST Robotics World Championship

Press release:

UNC Asheville-Coached FIRST Robotics Team “GLITCH” Advancing to World Championships

FIRST Robotics Competition first-year “rookie” Team 5854, called GLITCH, has qualified to participate in the World Championship, April 27-30 in St. Louis, Missouri. GLITCH, established this year at UNC Asheville, was the only Asheville team and one of just ten teams in North Carolina to advance to the World Championship level.

GLITCH Team 5854 is a FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) first-year team comprised of 24 students from more than eight area high schools and homeschoolers. The team was established this year at UNC Asheville in order to give opportunities to local high school students in science and technology. Under the mentorship of UNC Asheville mechatronics engineering students and faculty, GLITCH team members have learned many new skills in STEM-related fields and have grown by acquiring skills in programming, mechanical and electronic design, community service, team productivity and business skills in marketing the team.

Showing dramatic improvement over several competitions, the team ultimately qualified at the NC FIRST Robotics State Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina and was awarded the “Rookie All-Star Award” for the state of North Carolina. This award is given by FIRST to a rookie team “exemplifying a young but strong partnership effort, as well as implementing the mission of FIRST to inspire students to learn more about science and technology.”

“It has been awesome to see how the team has overcome some extreme obstacles. We’ve constantly been updating our robot to match the game and now we are headed to the World Championship,” says high school junior Caleb Pohlman, team captain for GLITCH. “It’s been an amazing journey and we are all extremely privileged to have this opportunity.”

“UNC Asheville wanted to open up opportunities for local students in science and give them experience in mechatronics,” says Keith Krumpe, dean of natural sciences and professor of chemistry at UNC Asheville. “It has surpassed our highest expectations that this newly formed team will be representing UNC Asheville at the World Championships! We are so very proud of all GLITCH has accomplished and we wish them well at Worlds.”

The GLITCH Robotics team would like to thank their Diamond, Platinum and Gold sponsors: UNC Asheville, Argosy Foundation, GE Foundation, TE Connectivity, AvL Technologies, Meritor, Blue Ridge Bone & Joint, and Carolina Spine & Neurosurgery Center, Qualcomm, and Robert and Barbara Bell.