Robotics Teams Get Charged Up for FIRST Tech Challenge

With 39 seconds on the clock, the red alliance (Rolling Drones and Bötley Crüe) scores five points by placing a cone on a pole. Photo: Rachelle Zaltsman

By DAVID YU, OLEG ZAIKA, and RACHELLE ZALTSMAN

Midwood’s three robotics teams The Rolling Drones, Pink Droyd, and Bötley Crüe competed in the POWERPLAY FIRST Tech Challenge at John Dewey High School on December 4. The Rolling Drones earned a spot in the semifinals but were ultimately defeated by the top seed. Bötley Crüe placed 8th among the 26 teams, and Pink Droyd took home the Design Award. 

Teams were partnered into random alliances, one blue and one red, that changed after each match. At one point a team could be an ally and, in another match, that same team could be an enemy. Only the coach, two driver operators, and a human player were allowed to be on the field during matches. The coach would keep an eye on the time and guide the drivers. The driver operators would control the robots’ movements, and the human player would put cones on the field for the robots to put on “junctions.”  

Each match began with a 30 second autonomous period in which the robots operated themselves, followed by a two minute bluetooth driver-controlled period. Points were scored by placing cones on poles or correct spots, each earning different point values.

Coming into the games, the teams felt “pretty confident,” said senior Lila Hans, a co-captain of the Rolling Drones, though there was some anxiety, with this being the first competition of the year.

Jessica Yampolsky ‘23, the Rolling Drones’s builder, said, “I knew that my team members who were controlling the robot had everything they needed to succeed. I was still nervous that something would go wrong, but I had faith in them.”

There’s a “large amount of stress in those two and a half minutes,” said Mr. Andy Xu, a robotics teacher.  “It will be a learning experience.”

“The students get to have the experience that they have only been thinking about until now,” said Ms. Lisa Ali, the coach for the robotics teams, who had to remain in the stands. “But it’s always difficult to sit back and watch when I have so much to say to them.” 

The teams arrived at 7 a.m. to prepare their robots for inspection. The robots had to be built with only the materials approved in the game manuals and fit within an 18” x 18” x 18” sizing constraint. After passing inspection, the teams began to prepare for the competition to kick off at 12 p.m.

The toughest challenge the students faced was the autonomous task at the beginning of each match. “This was the hardest because during the first 30 seconds, we were not allowed to do anything,” said Autumn Jones ‘23, Captain of Pink Droyd. All in all, there was simply “not enough time,” she said. 

The teams also faced technical difficulties such as connectivity issues. “The different environments and Wi-Fi made it difficult to prepare,” said Rolling Drones Co-Captain Adam Bilali ‘23.

During the competition, Bötley Crüe’s robot arm stopped working in the middle of matches.

“We got really unlucky. The arm would be working before and after our matches, but then it would just not work during,” said Sawyer Wizemann ‘23, captain of Bötley Crüe. “This was super frustrating since, before the competition, we felt the most prepared.”

The teams started designing their robots in September.

“I personally stayed late until 2:40 p.m. many days, and on one late day when the building was open ‘til 7 p.m.,” said Wizemann. “[We spent] over 25 hours a week on the robot, plus other team members would come in building, coding, and programming, sometimes during first period.” 

Although the FIRST Tech Challenge might have been stressful, the students “had fun in the process,” said Jones. “I definitely enjoyed the experience.” 

It was “good competition – some wins, some losses,” Agha Shah ‘24 said. “We have to work together as a team. We all did a great job.” 

Ivan Hartsevich ‘24, coach for the Rolling Drones, said, “We performed above expectations and worked around our difficulties.”

Teams are already planning for their next competition. “We ordered new materials to improve upon our current ones,” Hans said.

The next competition, on January 15 at Francis Lewis High School, is fast approaching. Meanwhile, the teams are “ordering new parts, not knowing when they will ship, considering what broke, and finding ways around it,” Bilali said. Nevertheless, his team “plans to dominate.”

Between the Midwood squads, however, there’s nothing but mutual support. Even though the three are competing for the same prize, during reconstruction, they had no problem coming to each other for help, ideas, and materials. 

Ms. Ali’s favorite moment during the competition was when the non-playing members went to the stands and cheered for the first game. “It was very sweet seeing all three teams cheering each other on,” she said. “It melted my heart to see that happen.”

That bond looks set to last, as the teams are showing excitement and unity while looking ahead to January 15.

“We had lots of bumps along the way, but at the end of the day we stayed strong,” said Yampolsky. “We always worked together and put in so much effort in designing, building, and coding our robots. It feels great to know that we are all in this together. I really hope we win, and even if we don’t, we are paving a path to stronger future teams.”