San Pedro high school students show off robotics skills

SAN PEDRO, Calif. (KABC) -- High school students showed off their skills at the Battleship Blast High School Robotics Competition.

Thirty-four FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) robotics teams were involved in three one-day competitions. The competition saw 71 matches running six robots each match for 2.5 minutes.

The first 15 seconds, the robots ran autonomously and performed complex operations without the command of the students. Winning teams were awarded trophies and blue banners in the tradition of FIRST robotics competition.

This was the second year FIRST has held an event in conjunction with L.A. Fleet Week. In 2017, Navy officials invited four teams to put on a demonstration. This was the first year it was a competition.

The schools were showing off last year's robots at this exhibition match. There are more than 3,600 FIRST robotics teams playing in more than 155 tournaments per year.