Chinese robotics team pleased with effort at world championship

Members of a Chinese team that participated in an international robotics competition said they are pleased with their efforts despite not advancing to the elimination round.

"The competition is very tough, but we have done our best. Since it's our first time here, I think we can improve a lot next time," said team member Wang Tianyi.

About 400 high school teams from around the world are gathered in St. Louis for the three-day FIRST Robotics Championship, which ends Saturday.

The Chinese team known as "Quantum Square" finished with a 3-5 record in the qualifying rounds and didn't gain a spot in the final race.

Team mentor Li Long said the competition was a learning experience for his squad.

"It's the first time for us to attend such an event and we are not familiar with the field of play and sometimes we lack communication with our randomly assigned alliance during the tournament," Li said.

Wang called his team's robot "one of the best here."

"But it's not just about how to design and build a robot," Wang said. "It's also about how to develop a cooperative spirit."

The FIRST Robotics Championship, organized by For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, is considered one of the most prominent robotics competition in the United States and attracts more than 250,000 students from around the world every year.