Two individuals battle their robots at the Appalachian Ohio Manufacturers’ Coalition’s Discover Battle Bots event. (Photo Provided)

MARIETTA — The Appalachian Ohio Manufacturers’ Coalition, a manufacturer-led organization that works with educators and community partners to align workforce training with regional industry needs, hosted a Battle Bots competition Jan. 23 at its Marietta facility for area high school students.

The event, titled Discover Battle Bots, brought together teams from five area high schools – Belpre, Fort Frye, Caldwell, Warren and Wolf Creek – to design, build and compete with one-pound combat robots. About 24 students and coaches participated, with additional community members attending to watch the competition.

The program was coordinated with support from AOMC interns, associate technical trainers and the coalition’s technical training manager, along with Building Bridges to Careers (BB2C). Organizers said the goal was to give students hands-on experience with engineering, problem-solving and manufacturing-related skills while exposing them to potential career paths.

Hunter Barnes, an intern from Warren who helped design the day’s activities, won the final Battle Bots competition. Organizers noted that Warren Local Schools launched a Battle Bots Club last year, which helped build student interest and momentum leading into the event.

“Discover Battle Bots is a powerful example of students learning directly from industry-connected mentors while building real technical and problem-solving skills,” said Kristi Leonard-Webber with BB2C and AOMC. “Experiences like this help students see themselves in future careers and understand that high-tech opportunities exist right here in our region.”

Teams watch bots battle during the Appalachian Ohio Manufacturers’ Coalition’s Discover Battle Bots event. (Photo Provided)

According to AOMC, the event also allowed highly trained interns to mentor others, including K-12 students and adults in the workforce, reinforcing peer-to-peer learning and leadership development.

AOMC will host an additional Battle Bots support day from noon to 2 p.m. Feb. 3 for students and coaches interested in a condensed version of the experience. Organizers said manuals and other resources have been developed to help schools continue robot design work and build sustainable teams.

More information about AOMC programs and partnerships is available at aomanufacturers.org.