GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — Middle and high school students across Indiana are gearing up for the FIRST Robotics Tech Challenge season.

About 28 teams competed at the FIRST Tech Challenge Qualifying Tournament on Saturday at Center Grove Middle School North in Greenwood.

FIRST sponsors competitions for different ages from K-12. Students in the Tech Challenge range from seventh to 12th grade.

This year’s game is called CENTERSTAGE presented by RTX. Teams must be able to pick up pieces called pixels and move them around the field. Participants can score varying point levels depending on how high they can stack the pixels on a board or move them to different parts of the field.

Chris Osborne is the vice president of programs for FIRST Indiana. He says the students’ dedication to the activity rivals that of student-athletes.

“The students have been working since September to build their own iteratively designed robot,” Osborne said. “You’re going to see a lot of different creations here … Students are able to 3D print and fabricate in their shops to try to come up with a solution to this year’s game.”

Teams can also earn bonus points if their machines can complete tasks like hanging from some of the bars on the field or being able to throw a paper plane.

Nat Shaver is an operator for “Panic,” a team from Center Grove. She says competitions can get pretty intense.

“It’s honestly kind of nerve-wracking sometimes,” Shaver said. Of course, we’re representing our team, our school, and everything. It’s really cool. You honestly get really up in the moment sometimes, and it takes a lot of focus.”

Students use Android technology and Java-based programming to code their robots to complete tasks.

In the first 30 seconds of competition, robots have to move completely autonomously with no human operators.

Stephen Onochie is the lead programmer for the “Purple Roborioles”, a team from Avon. He says it’s great to see the activity grow.

“Not everyone knows about robotics and S.T.E.M.,” Onochie said. “Helping our community learn about that. It’s just so exciting.

FIRST Robotics hopes to teach kids more than just how to compete.

The group focuses on teaching kids skills in STEAM-related careers, teamwork, communication, and leadership.

FIRST Indiana President Ashley Robbins says these students are practically running a business.

“They need to brand their teams,” Robbins said. “They need to come up with an identity. They’re working with local corporations to develop sponsorships [and] find people to sustain their programs.”

For a full schedule of FIRST Indiana Robotics competitions or information on how to volunteer, visit the non-profit’s website.