Wired 13.04: La Vida Robot

La historia de 4 indocumentados estudiando la prepa en Arizona y su desempeño en una competencia de robots sumergibles.





Across campus, in a second-floor windowless room, four students huddle around an odd, 3-foot-tall frame constructed of PVC pipe. They have equipped it with propellers, cameras, lights, a laser, depth detectors, pumps, an underwater microphone, and an articulated pincer. At the top sits a black, waterproof briefcase containing a nest of hacked processors, minuscule fans, and LEDs. It's a cheap but astoundingly functional underwater robot capable of recording sonar pings and retrieving objects 50 feet below the surface. The four teenagers who built it are all undocumented Mexican immigrants who came to this country through tunnels or hidden in the backseats of cars. They live in sheds and rooms without electricity. But over three days last summer, these kids from the desert proved they are among the smartest young underwater engineers in the country.

acabaron ganando al final del dia. Contra MIT y su robot de 11,000 dolares, pero el final no es tan feliz. Ahora los dos que se han graduado tienen que trabajar en labores manuales ya que no tienen para la colegiatura de la universidad, que sería de no residentes aunque han pasado la mayor parte de su vida en este estado americano...

para eso se creo este fondo de ayuda:

The Phoenix Union High School District has created a scholarship fund to benefit the further education of Cristian Arcega, Lorenzo Santillan, Luis Aranda, and Oscar Vazquez.

To learn more or make a donation (by check) please contact:

Phoenix Union Partnership - La Vida Robot Scholarship
Phoenix Union High School District - Attn: Jodie Baker
4502 N. Central, Room 5
Phoenix, AZ 85012


Wired 13.04: La Vida Robot