ADAMS TWP — Seven Mars High School students are preparing to battle their peers from other school districts, pounding, slicing and pulverizing their opponents until only the strongest survives.

The students, led by teacher Rob Case, will participate in the BattleBot IQ Competition on March 3 at the Century III Mall in West Mifflin. BattleBots are robots that fight one another until all are incapacitated except the winner.

Most have a signature fighting feature, such as a pounding device or a saw blade, or an evasive move that would keep them alive longer.

Mars is designing a BattleBot named Flipper, that will fight opponents from 20 to 30 other high schools from the tri-state area. Case said Mars is designing the 12-by-13-inch robot that flips over.

"But I don't want to say too much," said Case, keeping the design secret.

This marks the inaugural year for Mars' participation in the robotics competition, he said.

The seven students on the team, named "Robotrauma," were chosen by Case according to their level of achievement in math, science, engineering and public speaking. Case said many had already asked about entering the competition.

The seven are Jacob Catt, Mike Boselowitz, John Watson, David Spink, Jon Clise, Austin Hyde and Nicole George.

The BattleBots compete in weight classes, and Flipper will fight in the under 15 pound category, the lightest weight because this is Mars' first attempt at the competition.

Case said students have been working on Flipper after school, and are creating a prototype on a 3-D computer program.

"I'd say we're about one week from fabrication," said Case, who got $1,600 in funding and a radio controller from a National Robotics Engineering Center meeting he attended in October.

Robotrauma also got a boost from Mars Material Corp., whose owner, Clayton Woodward, promised the team up to $2,000 in fabrication and scientific assistance for the BattleBot project.

Robotrauma members also are doing fundraisers to pay for specialty parts needed to render Flipper competitive.

"We have the motor, wheels and rods to produce the offensive and defensive weaponry we are going to use," said Case.

The team also is raffling off a personal computer built by team members.

"We are trying to do it for $1,000," Case said of making the robot.

His goal in this extracurricular activity is to stimulate student interest in robotics so the ever-increasing number of jobs in the field will be filled. He said if successful, the robotics team could even attract industry to the area.

Woodward is excited about his company's partnership with the robotics team because it could promote the field of manufacturing among local students. Woodward said many young people don't even consider manufacturing as a post-high school career because they think the field holds no opportunity.

"Manufacturing is a viable career," said Woodward. "We need our youth to understand that."

Woodward said his company will offer engineering and technological help as well as some materials for Flipper. He said the BattleBot project is exciting because it allows students to use their scientific knowledge and expertise, as well as their hands in creating a robot.

"That could lead to a good career in manufacturing," said Woodward. "There are jobs out there."