Our previous experience in the field of engineering included participating in the First Tech Challenge, an annual robotics competition that strives to get the youth community involved in technology and emphasizing gracious professionalism. During the 2015-2016 season, we built a total of six different robots, which consisted of four practice robots and 2 competition robots. Each piece of machinery built off of the previous one’s weaknesses, and by the end of the season, we had constructed a robust and versatile golem.
Our first two robots were solely meant to help us gain a better understanding of engineering principles. Following this, we attempted to build our first competition bot, which was fast and agile, but incapable of competing. Our next bot, SEAN, was nearly identical to the one before it upon construction, but with major modifications, we were able to improve the drive train, update the arms so that they could become more useful, and lower the profile, which made it less prone to tip.
With this robot, which seemed flawless at the time, we attended our first competition at Menlo-Atherton High School, where we were lucky enough to place second place. During the weeks following this event, we decided to build a completely new robot, TAI, that was capable of doing every task that was required on the playing field. However, our prototype wasn’t up to standards, and frequently broke down.
With this unreliability, we regrettably participated in the Mission High School Competition, where we did not earn a single award, but learned from our mistakes. Following this competition, we improved TAI by replacing weak motors, adding a bumper, and replacing the debris collecting mechanism completely. This new TAI MkII was destined to succeed, as we saw in our next competition in Carmichel, where we placed second place along with earning a Control Award. The Control Award is supposed to be given to the team with the best program for their autonomous period. Not before long, the end of the season was upon us, and we were down to our last competition at Intel in Folsom. There we managed to place second place once again, as well as earning a Think Award for our team. The Think Award is supposed to be given to the team that best removed engineering obstacles through creative thinking. Another activity we participated in was the Maker Faire in San Mateo, where we displayed our robots for the general public to see.
In the future, we plan on teaching people about the importance of engineering, along with some skills that come with it. With this, we hope to better the world through innovative technology.