Students' robots dance across globe

Robot Olympiad had more than 500 teams from 20 different countries compete in 12 different events ranging from robots navigating obstacles, to robots performing tasks, to robot dancing.

Coughlin and two teammates took three humanoid-type robots and programmed them to perform a choreographed dance to "Intergalactic" by the Beastie Boys.

"I wouldn't say my dance moves are the best," Coughlin said. "But, remember, I taught it everything it knows."

Randy Menzer is the founder of Ameribotics, a nonprofit program dedicated to expanding the learning experience of students primarily through robots. Menzer had been working for eight years to put an American team together to compete at the International Robot Olympiad.

"It was huge. It was unbelievable," Menzer said.

His daughter was on the team. She was the first female competitor from a country in the western hemisphere.

"Having a lot of girls involved [in robotics] is a fantastic thing, and that's one of our primary missions and goals," Menzer said.

Coughlin says team members definitely felt like "rookies" at the competition. But, everyone made them feel welcome.

"I definitely think that we can get a lot of people in this next year for the competition," Coughlin said.

The 2012 Olympiad is in South Korea. Menzer submitted a bid for Colorado to host the following one. It was granted. The 2013 International Robot Olympiad will be held in the Denver metro area, likely in Douglas County.

"It's extremely significant to go from basically nothing," Menzer said.

He hopes this type of event will increase interest in the United States in robotics, especially in schools.

"Our focus in the U.S. is very different than the focus for robotics and education, and that sort of thing throughout the rest of the world," Menzer said. "So, in that area, we're definitely behind."

Though Team USA did not place, it did receive a special award for attitude and teamwork.

"At the end, we all got medals, and then we all competed in different categories," Coughlin said. "I definitely felt like an Olympian."

(KUSA-TV © 2012 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)