Students from Hardin Valley Academy in Tennessee prepare their robot for the FIRST Robotics Smoky Mountain regionals. The FIRST robotics competition challenges high school students to design, build and program a complex robot that can compete in that year’s game. The team, called the RoHAWKtics, used 3D printing and carbon fiber reinforced plastic to build their robot this year.

This year's game is called Aerial Assist. Three teams must work together in an alliance to score as many points in a 2-minute and 30-second match. To score points, the teams must move the ball down the playing field and get the ball in one of eight goal openings or pass it over the truss. The RoHAWKtics team built their robot, number 3824, using 3D printing and a shop vacuum fitted with an electric motor. To shoot the game ball, the robot uses a 3D-printed nozzle and pneumatic pistons.

In the first round of play, robots operate independently for 10 seconds, trying to score goals. For the rest of the match, drivers remotely control robots from behind a protective wall as they try to protect their goals from the other teams and score as many points as possible.

Pictured here is Joseph Nuttall, the RoHAWKtics' human player. When the ball goes out of play or leaves the playing field, Joseph is one of the students who can throw it back to the robots.

Dr. Woodie Flowers, one of the founders of FIRST Robotics, visits the RoHAWKtics pit.

RoHAWKtics team members cheer on players at the Smoky Mountain Regionals in Knoxville, Tennessee.

The RoHAWKtics team celebrates as Dr. Lonnie Love (center) wins the Woodie Flowers Finalist Award. Presented to one mentor at every regional competition, the award recognizes effective communication in the art and science of engineering and design. Dr. Love is an engineer at Oak Ridge's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility and is one of RoHAWKtics' mentors. Dr. Love was integral to opening the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility to FIRST robotics teams in Eastern Tennessee.

The FIRST Robotics competition is about more than just building a robot -- it helps students learn public speaking, problem solving, team work, fundraising and how to run a business. To help raise money for the team, students use 3D printers to create trophies and thank you gifts for sponsors. Pictured here RoHAWKtics team members present a 3D-printed robot bobble head to the L&M STEM Academy STEMpunks.