GREENWOOD, S.C. — At a STEAM festival in Uptown Greenwood on Saturday, young visitors got to feed a ball into a competition robot and watch it work.
The machine was Quick Draw, a robot built by the Due Westerners, a student robotics team that the Index-Journal says has taken its abilities from the South Carolina countryside to global competition. In matches, its job is to shoot balls and earn points. The team’s demonstration at the iMAGINE STEAM Festival invited children to interact with it directly, according to the newspaper.
A new robot every season
Quick Draw is the product of the FIRST Robotics Competition, where teams face new challenges each year. The Index-Journal reports that the Due Westerners build a new robot every season to meet changing competition requirements.
At the festival, one team member operated the controller during the demonstration. An 11th-grader, she is the team’s chief electrical expert. According to the newspaper, she joined the program four years ago with no prior robotics experience. She now handles the electrical wiring on the team’s competition robots.
Starting young with LEGO
The festival also featured a FIRST LEGO League Challenge display with LEGO-built robots and models. Due West Robotics fields three FIRST LEGO League teams that give younger students a first look at engineering, coding and working through problems, the Index-Journal reports.
From South Carolina to Houston
According to the Index-Journal, the Due Westerners earned a place at the 2025 FIRST Robotics World Championship in Houston by placing fourth in the South Carolina rankings that season. The event featured eight competition fields.
In 2026, the team claimed victory at the Hartsville District Event, part of FIRST South Carolina. The Index-Journal adds that the FIRST Impact Award also went to the group at that event.
Cowboy hats and a horse head
The team also has a playful side. Members lean into a Western theme that fits their name, the Index-Journal reports, wearing cowboy hats when they gather with fellow competitors at FIRST Robotics Competition events. The Western motif extends to the team’s pit area, where a huge horse head made on a 3D printer is on display.
Originally reported by the Index-Journal.
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