A Mar. 4–5 robotics competition at Hatboro-Horsham High School saw a district winner battle its way to the next level. A staff report from LebTown — a Lebanon County news source — plugged readers into the story.

The Krypton Cougars from Palmyra, Pa., Lebanon County, took first place at the FIRST Mid-Atlantic district competition in Montgomery County.

FIRST Robotics Competitions (FRC) are organized by a New Jersey nonprofit to promote competitive robotics in eastern Pennsylvania, as well as New Jersey, and Delaware.

Its founder is entrepreneur Dean Kamen, the New York innovator behind the Segway, the Auto Syringe, and the iBOT Wheelchair.

The Cougars got off to a rough start, vexed by a robotic arm malfunction.

Once that glitch was addressed, the team took 10 of 12 qualifying matches to the top of the ranking. From there, it was a clean sweep to a final-round victory.

Organizers said that the win not only gave the Cougars its first-ever first place win, it also ranked the team 15th in the world’s top 1,000 competitors.

Next up for the team is a return to the area. A Mar. 25–26 heat in Chestnut Hill will test its mettle once again.

More on Montgomery County as a robotics competition host is at LebTown.

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The Krypton Cougars in York, Pa., earlier this year.