In the fall of 2012, Rowland Hall started their robotics program, which Mr. Hori led. Since then, the program has expanded to include two teams, the Monochromats, which was started in 2018, and the Iron Lions, founded in 2021. Both teams started participating in First Tech Challenge (FTC). Both teams spent the first half of the season building a robot to complete a specific challenge created by FTC. In January, the competitions started, and it was time to test the robots and see how they performed in the challenge.

During competitions each year, teams compete in about five matches, in which four teams from different schools are randomly picked and placed into teams of two, called alliances. There are two sections of the game, the autonomous and TeleOp periods. Autonomous is where the robot only runs on the code it has, while TeleOp is controlled by drivers. But even before the game starts, teams go through many different steps to prepare. Toward the beginning of the competition, teams go to a group of judges and give a short presentation about the key elements of the robot and what they have done throughout the season in terms of outreach and fundraising. From this presentation, judges can nominate teams for awards that represent their strengths. At the end of each competition, the top placers in each category are announced, and the winner of each award gets to take home a trophy.

This year, the FTC challenge is called CENTERSTAGE. The goal of the game is to score as many points as possible by moving the game element, small hexagons called pixels, across the field and into the scoring area. Other ways to score bonus points include launching a paper airplane across the field and into one of the landing zones. Another game-specific aspect is AprilTags, which are QR codes used to help determine position on the field. Additionally, there are many ways to approach the strategy in this game, whether it’s using a claw to pick up the pixels or an intake to spin the robot into a scoring position. Throughout every challenge, including this year’s challenge, there are two critical aspects to make the robot succeed, hardware and software.

The hardware team is in charge of building the physical robot, while the software team is responsible for the code. This year, the hardware team had to figure out how to pick up the game element from the floor and place it in the scoring area. Omar Alsolaiman, a senior on the hardware team, says, “This year, hardware has been especially important because the best designs need to have some complicated systems to compete at level.” The physical robot is the base for everything that it can do, and different aspects of the robot elevate it and allow it to complete its goals.

Software is the coding side for the robot. The software team creates the code the robot runs on, telling it what to do. Software is most crucial during the autonomous period, where the robot is only allowed to run off of the code it has. This is where sensors and cameras are helpful and important. Rayne Weinstein, a freshman on the software team, says, “Software is a vital part of building a robot, responsible for every aspect of making the robot move in precise, calculated ways.” Without working software, the robot wouldn’t be able to complete any of the tasks that are necessary for competitions, or even do simple tasks, such as driving.

So far, the teams have competed in one qualifier, where they placed highly in multiple award categories. The Iron Lions placed first in and won the “Think Award,” which recognizes them for getting through engineering obstacles with creative thinking. Additionally, the Monochromats placed second in the “Innovate Award,” which showcases bringing great ideas to life. Both teams did very well in their first competition, and as the season continues, the teams will try to bring home more awards from their competitions.

Robotics is a way to work on and improve multiple skills, not only ones relating to STEM. It encourages teamwork, collaboration, planning and setting goals, problem-solving, and many other skills crucial to life. Sophie Lieskovan says that robotics “shows you how to work on a leadership team rather than as an individual leader.” The leadership teams allow people to split up responsibilities, while also having a chance to experience different aspects of the leadership positions, such as contacting outside businesses for fundraising or setting up events for outreach. Robotics allows people to learn more about ideas relating to computer science and engineering, while also finding a community of people with shared interests. The teams are always looking for more people who are interested in joining, so there’s always an opportunity to become part of the team!