Changing Lives, One Robot at a Time
- Nicole Tafe
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Upper St. Clair’s TeraBridges robotics team earned international recognition after redesigning a mobility device that gives young children with disabilities greater independence.
For the students on Upper St. Clair’s TeraBridges team, robotics has never been just about winning competitions. Sure, they love building robots and putting their engineering skills to the test—but they’re equally passionate about using those same skills to make life a little easier for someone else.
That mission recently earned the team international recognition.
Team TeraBridges (FTC 18603) recently took home the Grand Prize in the Tikkun Olam Makers (TOM) Global Innovation Challenge, an international competition that challenges participants to create affordable technology for people living with disabilities.
Even more impressive? They were the only high school team to receive the top award—competing against university students, professional engineers and innovators from around the world.
“This achievement highlights the dedication and creativity these students brought to solving a real-world challenge, while reflecting TeraBridges’ mission to empower students to apply STEM skills not only in competition but also in service to the community,” says TeraBridges coach Sarah Beitler.
Their winning project centered on the Toddler Mobility Trainer (TMT), a device that helps young children with physical disabilities move independently.
Working alongside Child’s Way—a Pittsburgh organization that serves medically fragile children—the students saw an opportunity to improve the existing mobility trainer. By adding motors, joystick controls and technology commonly used on their competition robots, they transformed the device into one that gives children much more control over their movement.
For rising junior Aaron Jiang, seeing the device used by an actual child made all the difference.
“We realized that the standard Toddler Mobility Trainer would be much more accessible if it was motorized and controlled only by a joystick,” says Aaron.
“Working with Elias at Child’s Way allowed us to test our prototype in a real-world environment and identify improvements that would help us better serve a wider range of children.”
Founded in 2020, the TeraBridges team was created by students who wanted to do more than compete. Along with designing award-winning robots, they have made community outreach and assistive technology a major part of their mission.
TeraBridges coach Dr. Rama Bala says the students showed that meaningful innovation doesn’t depend on age.
“The Upper St. Clair team was the only high school team selected as a Grand Prize winner, competing alongside university students, professional engineers and innovators from around the world,” says Bala.
“These students demonstrated that innovation is not limited by age and that high school students can create solutions with the potential to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.”
In a bit of serendipity, many of the parts used to improve the mobility trainer are the same ones students use every day on their competition robots.
“The TOM GIC challenge strengthened our understanding of the impact even simple technology can make,” says rising senior Rohan Inampudi.
“The motorized TMT used many of the same basic electronic components we use on our FTC robot, but it has the potential to change the lives of children with limited mobility. It showed us the importance of designing technology that is not only innovative, but also affordable and accessible.”
For rising sophomore Shreyan Mali, the TOM Global Innovation Challenge provided an opportunity to apply the team’s robotics experience toward a broader mission.
“We wanted to use our FTC skills to create something that would have a tremendous impact on the assistive technology community,” says Shreyan. “The TOM GIC gave us the platform to transform an existing mobility solution into something that could provide greater independence for children who need it.”
The project was just one part of a remarkable year for TeraBridges. The team won the Overall Tournament Championship, Sea Division Championship and First Place Connect Award at the FIRST Tech Challenge Western Edge Premier Event in California—the first Upper St. Clair Robotics team ever to capture an FTC Premier Event title.
Still, team members say the awards aren’t what they’ll remember most.
As assistive technology lead, rising sophomore Ritu Gupta helped design the Arduino control system for the motorized Toddler Mobility Trainer while also leading toy adaptation events and community build days.
“Designing the Arduino circuit for the motorized TMT showed me how engineering can become a solution that directly helps people,” says Ritu. “Through our assistive technology build days, toy adaptations and community outreach, I learned that engineering is about creating opportunities and making a difference.”
The team isn’t finished with the project, either. Students are already working on ways to improve the design with adjustable drive systems, greater comfort and even more flexibility so the device can help as many children as possible.
For the members of TeraBridges, the experience has reinforced a lesson they’ll carry well beyond high school: sometimes the most important thing you can build isn’t a thing—it’s a better opportunity for someone else.
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