Robotics Team Hosts Moving Event at IDEA Space
Barstow’s FIRST Robotics Team 1939, and Variety KC will host six regional robotics teams on Saturday, Oct. 10, for a GoBabyGO! Community Build at the Dan & Cassidy Towriss IDEA Space KC.
The student engineers will modify battery-powered ride-on cars to meet the individual needs of seven local children with mobility challenges, giving them new opportunities for independence, exploration and connection with their peers.
For Barstow students, the event puts engineering, problem-solving and teamwork to work in service of others. Each car is customized for its young recipient, with Variety KC staff and consultants working alongside robotics coaches and mentors to ensure the vehicles meet each child’s individual needs. At the conclusion of the build, the students will present the cars to the children and their families.
“I am so happy that this program has remained a central part of our team's identity for the last four years and I am so excited to watch it grow even more after I graduate," said senior Emily Smith, Team Captain. "Robotics is about so much more than building a machine that works. It is about understanding a problem, working together to solve it and using what you know to help someone else.”
The GoBabyGO! program helps address a gap for young children who are too young or small to qualify for a traditional motorized wheelchair but would benefit from greater independent mobility. The customized ride-on cars encourage movement, exploration and interaction with other children.
The community build also highlights the role of Barstow’s robotics program and IDEA Space in connecting STEM education with real-world challenges. IDEA Space, powered by The Barstow School, provides students throughout the Kansas City region with access to hands-on learning experiences, specialized tools and technology that support science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
The event brings together student innovation and community partnership to demonstrate how engineering skills can make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families.
The event brings together student innovation and community partnership to demonstrate how engineering skills can make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and families.
Barstow Robotics on KCUR’s Up to Date
On Monday, Oct. 12, Robotics head coach Bree Pusey and team captain Emily Smith will join a representative from Variety KC as guests on KCUR’s "Up to Date with Steve Kraske." They will discuss the impact and growth of GoBabyGO!, the opportunities provided by Barstow’s robotics program and the role of IDEA Space in expanding access to STEM education, tools and technology for students throughout the Kansas City area.
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FIRST Robotics Team 1939 members work together to adapt a ride-on car for a special client at the 2025 GoBabyGO! eent.
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The battery-operated cars give children with mobility challenges added independence.
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The service projects combines STEM learning with skills like collaboration, problem-solving and leadership development.
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The 2026 event at IDEA Space KC will bring together seven regional robotics teams to provide seven specially adapted cars for kids, in partnership with Variety KC.
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