The “Boss Bots” Robotics Club team qualified for state competition on January 26 at the Innovation Hub in Livermore. The FTC Northern California Championship Tournament will be held on February 24 at Newark High School.
A team can qualify by acting as a host team, being the captain of the winning alliance, or winning the Inspire Award, which is given to the team that best represents the greatest team spirit, creativity, or community outreach. The Boss Bots qualified by being the captain of the winning alliance, according to senior Annie Guo.
In preparation for the state competition, the team will do repair work on their robot, which has suffered minor damages from past scrimmages. According to senior Meera Madra, the team plans on making the ramp more “efficient,” upgrading their engineering notebook which details the robot’s construction, and conduct more driving practice. “We have two main drivers, Kourosh [Arasteh] and Thibaut [Hardin], driving the robot. During the competition we have to watch what other teams are doing, not just our own,” said Madra.
At the state competition, Guo hopes to see a “lift,” which so far “no one has done yet in the competition.” During the last 30 seconds of a round, teams have the opportunity to earn extra points by using their lifting mechanisms to lift other teams’ robots off the ground. The higher the lift, the more points are awarded. Madra said, “It would be really cool to see.”
30 teams will be competing at the state competition, and both Guo and Madra are looking forward to experiencing not only the competition, but also collaboration from the teams. Madra said, “I hope to see all the teams trying to carry out tasks instead of just working on defense.” Guo said, “That’s what [the competition] is all about: sharing ideas.”
The Boss Bots motto corresponds with this mindset, as team members do not hold specific roles. “Each person is their own boss; we share ideas and have our own roles and collaborate,” said Madra.
