Aviano students readying robot for tech championship

It doesn't really have a name, and not much of a personality. But a robot created by Aviano middle and high schoolers performed well enough to qualify for the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championships. At a recent competition in Prague, the robot flipped over three times, said Julia Markel, the lead programmer on the 13-member team, which calls itself Robotica Santi Robotics Club. But it rallied enough to achieve one of the team's top goals: climb up a ramp and do a pull-up. "We were one of the only teams that were able to do that," said Dave Izzo, the club's adviser.