Malverne Mules shoot for the win

The Malverne Mechanical Mules have completed building a basketball-shooting robot and are now preparing for the regional portion of the FIRST Robotics Competition.

“We finished the robot on time and, of course, it came right down to the wire, like every year, but we are happy and optimistic about this year’s robot,” Mules Coach Charles Vessalico said. The robot, he added, is fast and can pick up multiple balls, shoot well and balance on a bridge for bonus points.

Until regionals, which take place at Hofstra University between March 29 and 31, the Mules will meet weekly to work on packing for the competition, preparing the pre-competition awards night, developing multiple autonomous codes for the robot, developing game strategies, finalizing their promotional video and continuing to take the 2011 robot around the community.