A team within the U-High robotics team, Cache Money, has advanced to the semifinals of the FIRST Global Innovation Challenge with their designs of RETRO-FIT, a fitness app that incorporates fantasy gameplay.

Out of 3,000 teams, 117 will advance to the semifinals. Cache Money is one of two from Illinois that will advance to this level. 

The competition this year entails submitting a concept that satisfies the prompt of an innovation that improves the mental and physical wellbeing of users. 

The team submitted additional materials for the judging on April 21. Finalists, 20 in all, will be announced May 7. Finalist teams will have the opportunity to win funding from technology companies for their ideas at the Global Innovation awards in late June.

Cache Money member Alp Demirtas has high hopes for future development of the app.

“We really want to develop this into a usable and serviceable app. We’re going to try to begin prototyping more and developing the smartwatch, smart patch and the game,” he said. “We’re looking good. We’re really just trying to further [the app], and the sky’s the limit after we submit this final portion.”