Local students compete in state robotics championships

Local students compete in state robotics championships (Photo courtesy of Bill Sigafoos of VirginiaFIRST / March 3, 2013)

A group of middle and high school students are getting national recognition.

They're known as the "Tuxedo Pandas."  They won a state robotics championship in Richmond on Saturday.

The "Tuxedo Pandas" is made up of kids from the Christiansburg and Blacksburg area.

Bill Sigafoos of VirginiaFIRST sent us these pictures of the kids in action.

They had to design and operate robots to fetch plastic rings and hang them on a rack, while being jostled by other robots.

They will now compete at the World Robotics Championship in St. Louis, Missouri in late April.

Congratulations to them!