The Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office is putting the Cedarburg High School Robotics Team to the test with the hope the Hexhounds can fix their broken robot.
At one time the military used the robot in Afghanistan to work with explosive devices. When the MARCbot became obsolete to them, the sheriff's office took it over hoping to put it to use.
"It's a problem-solving process," said Dan Kniess, Robotics Coach.
By the time it got to Wisconsin it wasn't working. That's where the Hexhounds come in. The robotics coach admitted this project comes with pressure to get it right.
"Understanding that this is something that's actually going to be used in the field and not just theorized or used in a lab it does add a little bit of pressure, but I think the kids are really excited for it," Kniess said.
The team has had the robot for about a month.
"We kind of start by figuring out how it communicates, how the mechanics of it work, how to troubleshoot through that," said Patrick Knox, Junior.
"Most of the stuff we're doing is software related so it's pretty fun for me cause that's what I do most of the season," said Brennan Zaleski, Junior.
The Hexhounds plan to get the robot on the streets as soon as they can. If the team gets it working the sheriff's office could use it for hazardous materials and tactical situations.
"It's a lot of research, a lot of investigating of what's already been done, what can they do," Kniess said.
To learn more about the Hexhounds visit http://cedarburgrobotics.com/.
