Thanks for your interest in Team 11096. We're based out of Saugus with membership open to all of the Hart District schools. Prospective members should read this page, it covers what you need to know.
Fill out the form at the end once you’re done reading!
FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition) is a high school engineering competition where teams have about 6 weeks to design, build, and program a 115 lb robot to compete in a new game every year. After build season you compete at district tournaments, which run over full weekends with qualification matches and playoffs. Each match is played 3 teams vs 3 teams.
This year's game was called REBUILT. Our robot could pick balls up off the ground and shoot them, and its drivetrain let it move in any direction while facing wherever it wanted. We competed at two events (LA and Aerospace Valley), went 12-10-1 overall, and won the Rookie All-Star award at Aerospace Valley. This was our first season.
Most of the team had zero experience with robots, code, or power tools before joining. Everything is learned on the team through mentors and other members.
Members can work across different areas and most people end up trying a few of these over time.
Build: You learn to design parts on the computer in 3D before making them (we have a curriculum for this). Once a design is done, you cut it out of metal or plastic on our computer-controlled router, or 3D print it if it's smaller. Then you put it all together, bolting and riveting parts onto the frame, fitting mechanisms in. At competition you're also on pit crew: checking bolts between matches, swapping batteries, fixing anything that broke. During build season this is where most people spend their time.
Wiring: The robot has a bunch of motors, sensors, and a main computer that all need to be wired together. You learn to lay out where the electronics sit on the robot, assemble and run custom wires through the frame, and make sure the connections are solid through impacts. At competition when something stops working this is usually the first thing to check.
Programming: Code is in Java. You write the controls that translate joystick inputs into what the robot does, and you also write sequences the robot runs by itself for the first 15 seconds of each match (no driver input). We use version control software to track code changes and push updates after every meeting. This offseason we're adding a camera system so the robot can read markers on the field and aim on its own.
Strategy: At competition, you watch every match and record what each robot can do — how fast it scores, whether it plays defense, what breaks. Before playoffs you use that data to figure out which teams to pick as partners. During matches you're also calling out what our robot should focus on.
Business: Going to local businesses in person to pitch sponsorships (we did about 140 hours of this before our first season), writing grant applications, managing social media (@frc11096), taking photos and video, writing award submissions, designing team shirts, keeping the website updated, ordering parts, and figuring out travel for events.