By building robots from a basic kit of "junk," students learn not just to compete, but cooperate, says Milton Lau, McKinley electronics instructor and team adviser. The competition includes student teams working in pairs to see which can stack the most pyramids the fastest.

"They send two crates basically filled with junk and students have six weeks to build this robot," Lau said.

"The first couple of days we stare at each other and try to figure out what to do," said team leader Ike Nagamine, a 17-year-old senior. "Then you figure out a strategy. We wanted to be able to stack and also hang on firmly, so we have a claw in the front."

But the McKinley team also faced a last-minute scramble to find the money to make the trip. Because the team was so focused on car washes and chicken sales to raise funds for two regional competitions, it didn't include the nationals in its planning, Lau said. But when McKinley landed the regional Chairman's Award in the San Jose regional competition earlier in the year, it qualified for the same award in the nationals along with about 30 other teams.

Only last Friday did money materialize to allow eight of the 24-member student team to make the trip, thanks to an anonymous donor — a former McKinley graduate who started the Everlasting Private Foundation — and matching funding from local sponsor Hawaiian Electric as well as additional help from Local 121 of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers.

"We're able to send the kids for free because of the generous community support," said Lau.

Four other Hawai'i teams also are competing in Atlanta — from Waialua and Hilo high schools and Hawai'i Preparatory Academy on the Big Island.

In each of the five years of national competition, student teams have had different objectives. In the past, robots have had to be dexterous enough to pick up balls, shoot baskets and stack cubes.

"Every year there's a different game. That's how they keep it fresh," said Lau. "But no one covers up their robot like someone has some secret weapon," he said. "The whole idea is sharing. Team 33 posted their transmission on the Internet and we adapted it to our needs. One year we forgot to bring a common Phillips screwdriver and we had all these other teams bringing us one."

This year the goal is to stack four-sided tetrahedron made from PVC piping. Pyramid-stacking can reach seven feet high or more, and must be completed in two minutes, 15 seconds, with the robot working part of that time controlled by a computer program written by the students.

The robot must weigh less than 120 pounds. "We have to drill holes in it to lighten it up," said student Cassie Oda, 18.

With their robot already on the Mainland for the finals tomorrow and Saturday, the students left Hawai'i on Tuesday to join it in Georgia. Accompanying them are teacher advisers Hank Kusunoki and Osa Tui and mentors Alan Ing, a Hawaiian Electric chief engineer, and Rodney Leong, a Pearl Harbor Shipyard machinist. University of Hawai'i machinist Roy Tom also has worked with the students. Former McKinley student Elaine Owens also mentored the team.

"Without the community and industries involved, we wouldn't have been able to build this robot," Lau said. "But as far as controlling the robot, it's all up to the kids."