Kell HS Robotics Team Builds Whale of a Robot

Kell High School is well known for its athletics, especially since it is the alma mater to NFL Steeler Jonathan Dwyer. But Kell also has a whale of a robotics team, and their invention have been acclaimed all over the country.

Kell High School's Robotics Team.
Photo courtesy of Popular Mechanics, Hearst Communications.

This week, Popular Mechanics - the magazine that highlights the science and technology of the auto, home, and outdoors - put the spotlight on the Kell Robotics team and their Oil Recovery and Capture (ORCA) robot.

According to the magazine's blog post, the ORCA robot was inspired by clean-up efforts involved with the Deepwater Horizon spill. Kell's ORCA robot skims oil from the water, and then it deposits the oil into an empty receptacle contained within the device. The robot also has a solar panel on it that allows the machine to generate power while it is working.

Kell's Robotics Team is recognized as a Lemelson-MIT "InventTeam". This designation is given to research teams that are comprised of high school students. In order to develop the ORCA robot, Lemelson-MIT gifted the Robotics Team $10,000.

Since its development, Kell's ORCA robot earned numerous accolades, including winning first place at the 2010 Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference in Orlando, Florida. They were also invited to the White House Science Fair to share their expertise.

Congratulations to the Kell Robotics Team for a job well done!

Additional Resources You May Like
Kell Robotics Team Homepage
Popular Mechanics' Blog Post about Kell Robotics
2012 White House Science Fair Participants
2012 Interscience/Industry Training, Simulation and Training Conference
The Lemelson-MIT Program