​East Peoria Robo Raiders is a First Tech Challenge (FTC) team comprised of some of our region’s brightest and best students. These kids are not your typical teenagers. While other students their age may be focused on playing the latest Xbox 360 games, Robo Raiders design those very same video games. From learning new computer programming and languages to utilizing electricity and engineering to solve real life business challenges, these kids are clever to say the least. In fact, the East Peoria Robo Raiders recently received a provisional patent on the Rising Aqua Detector Device they developed. Pretty impressive for a group of 7th, 8th and 9th graders.

Every school year Robo Raider’s design, build and program their own robot prototype to meet a national First Tech Challenge. Student team members work with adult mentors twice a week throughout the school year culminating with a series of competitions. Through professional presentations explaining their innovative ideas to industry leaders and competitive robot field games, Robo Raiders compete with similar FTC teams at regional, state and national levels.

Last year, the Robo Raiders team developed an actual working prototype of a Rising Aqua Detector (RAD) to warn drivers when it is unsafe to drive into a flooded street. Once the water reaches an unsafe bumper level for a vehicle, an LED (light emitting diode) corresponding to each inch of water under vehicle blinks the LEDs and sounds a buzzer.

What is the next step for these mind sport enthusiasts? Robo Raiders is planning to promote their Rising Aqua Detector Device to car and emergency vehicle manufacturers and car component manufacturers. These successful students put new meaning to the term “driven”. To see their pioneering device in action, simply click on the following links:

Aqua Rising Detector

Video Demonstration

For more information about East Peoria Robo Raiders, mentoring opportunities and business sponsorships, please contact Randy Dray at Randy.Dray@hotmail.com.