Robotics Getting Ready for Competition

Robotics+Getting+Ready+for+Competition

This month, the WHBHS Robotics team will be going to competitions. The team has worked hard through January and February to build a robot from scratch based on what the FIRST Robotics Competition will be this year.

In January, Robotics teams across the country were told what the robot has to do this year. WHBHS Robotics Captain Jack Buenten explains, “Our robot must collect shipping totes and stack them in specialized areas. The higher the stack, the more points each team receives.” With that in mind, the team goes ahead to discuss how they want the robot to be built.

Working in the Robotics room starting with a few times a week to everyday as the deadline approaches. With around 30-35 kids, there is plenty to do. Junior Steven Nolan comments, “I do everything from machining, building, and doing the electrical stuff and wiring.” The Robotics team had to finish and ship their robot by February 16th in order for it to be accepted by officials at competition.

The team’s upcoming competitions are taking place March 13-15 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City, and on March 26-28 at Hofstra University. Students can attend the event for free or watch online here. “Competition is comparable to a sporting event,” comments Buenten. “Hundreds of teams are sitting in the bleachers cheering on their teammates.” On the ground floor is an arena and situated around it are the teams’ booths: the Pit. Here, members work on the robot and get ready for their turn to compete in different rounds. Bystanders are allowed down to the Pits, but keep in mind not to get in the way and to grab safety goggles while walking around. Nolan remarks, “The competitions are amazing because you get to see the other teams robots and how well their robots and ours perform in the competition, and the overall excitement in the air.”

Even though signups are closed for this school year, it is recommended to any students who wish to try out engineering to check out the club next year!  “I find that Robotics is an amazing program that goes under a lot of peoples’ radars. Many people avoid it either because they feel they cannot do anything or that it’s just a club, but they will see that they can learn new things and that Robotics itself is comparable with the high school sports teams,” states Buenten.