Robots are machines that help humans with certain tasks, whether it’s tracking the time, cleaning your house, or even delivering food. While many people think that robots are going to take over the world, you have to consider the hard work that made robots intelligent in the first place.
The FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an international high school program (grades 8-12) where teams design, program, and build industrial-sized robots to play challenging, team-based games.
Arlington ISD’s team, which consists of students from Bowie and Martin high schools, placed 14th out of over 100 schools during the recent state competition in Houston. Seven Bowie students are part of the team, including Captain Desiree Garcia, a senior, and Lead Programmer Lucas Alvarado, also a senior.
Every January a new themed game is released requiring robots to perform specific tasks, such as shooting balls, placing pieces, or navigating obstacles. Teams work within strict rules, limited time, and defined resources to build robots, often weighing up to 115 pounds using a standard kit of parts.
Once you consider the fact that you have to create a bot out of scratch with limited resources compared to other teams, the game becomes no laughing matter.
“The hardest part of this competition is designing the robot itself,” said Alvarado. “We already have the concept, but designing it takes at the very least two weeks.”
The team has experienced a couple hiccups as well when it comes to working together. The team consists of three students from Martin and two team captains from Bowie. The two rival schools had to learn how to work together; there were small arguments within the team in the beginning, however they still aimed towards their objective despite their disagreements.
The teamwork and perseverance with each team member encourages high-quality work, competition, and respect for others. And while some teams might not get along with one another, it shows that robots are not just about intelligence, but rather the hard work that was put into creating that intelligence.
