Absolute Zero
Regular Category Senior
Rank 78
Team Name
Absolute Zero – where we push our limits to accomplish the impossible
Team Category and Age Group
Senior-regular
Team Member Names
Neha Bhat and Nithya Chintalapati
Coach Name
Dinesh Bhat
State and city for each member
Sterling VA and Vienna, VA
How did your team form?
We have been working as a team for two years. We seem to always work towards a common goal. We cofounded “StemPowering Girls” – where we “Empower girls to pursue their interest in STEM”. We complement and uplift each other while catering our hard and soft skills to make each other better. We have also previously participated in other robotics competitions such as FTC.
What makes your team so special?
Our team is very special because we are the only all-girls team representing Team USA for the Senior regular category. We are an inspiration to a lot of young girls around us. They see us as role models. By participating in WRO World Finals at Thailand we want to boost the confidence in girls who are looking up to us. And we want to be that inspiration to them.
What the best feature your robot or presentation?
Our ongoing effort was constantly improving the robot design and program. This resulted in an intelligent autonomous robot that was capable of making choices and responding based on what it senses in its path. Secondly, we focused on the consistency of the robot-runs. Our steady robot was key to a winning round in Nationals.
What does participating in WRO has done for you?
By participating and getting invited to WRO World Finals, We have become local heroes to girls around us. . WRO also gave us an opportunity to challenge ourselves. We developed new skills throughout the journey of competitions. Winning at National was just another stepping stone to more leaning along the way to Thailand.
Please describe your favorite WRO moment:
WRO moment for us was winning at the Nationals. In the first round when we were one of the lowest scores. For the second round, we challenged ourselves, focused on making our robot the best that it could be. Our robot scored the highest points in the senior regular category that round.
What are you looking forward to in Thailand?
We are looking forward to exchanging ideas and thoughts with peers from different backgrounds and accrue skills to enter new communities and spaces. We are literally counting down the days until the WRO World finals, so we can meet the best of the best from all over the world, which could breed creativity and drive innovation. And of course, visiting Doi Suthep and Doi Pui. We can’t wait to bring back hand-painted umbrellas and walk around the Lanna folklife museum.