Highschool Kids' Robot Kicks M.I.T.'s Ass

Somewhere a screenwriter is hatching a pitch that goes, "It's like Meatballs meets Revenge of the Nerds meets the Bad News Bears...or maybe it's just being randomly generated on a studio computer.

Four high school kids from western Phoenix and an underwater robot named Stinky beat out the nation's brightest students (including a team from M.I.T) in the 2004 Marine Advanced Technology Education Center Remotely Operated Vehicle Competition. It's a boost to their college hopes, which had been far from a sure thing due to financial disadvantages.

NPR story here.

Original Wired story here.