Home Of:FTC Team 16714 - DreadBolts
FTC Team 38436 - DreadNuts

Controlled Chaos: Inside the
2026 Build Season

The room smells like hot plastic and way too much coffee. On the floor, there are aluminum gears, colorful wires, and zip ties everywhere. Five coders crowd around a single computer screen, debating what step to take next.

Welcome to middle school robotics! It’s part competition, part total chaos, and part hanging out and having fun.

High school robotics teams might tackle more advanced engineering and coding, but middle school is where it all starts. It’s where students get to turn what they learn into hands-on projects. Sometimes things work, and sometimes they crash, break, or just refuse to do what they’re supposed to do. But that’s all part of the fun of robotics.

Here is a look at what each of our sub-teams has been tackling this week:

Prototyping & Build: Dialing in the Intake

Our build team has been running rapid iterations using custom 3D-printed parts to test alternative intake mechanisms. Getting a reliable grip on the game elements—both the pollen and nectar balls—requires balancing speed, compliance, and grip angle. Prototyping multiple printed wheel geometries and ramp profiles is helping us identify what feeds smoothly avoids jams, and ensures efficiency.

CAD: Locking Concepts into OnShape

While the build team tests physical iterations, our CAD team is hard at work capturing the best ideas in OnShape. They are translating physical mockups into precise 3D models, ensuring every bracket, plate, and mounting point aligns properly before the final parts are assembled into a competition ready hive-tipping machine.

Programming: Autonomous Routines & Drive Controls

The software team has been laser-focused on autonomous mode consistency. Recent key focus areas have included:

Developing and tuning a dedicated servo mechanism designed to reliably sweep balls out of the center flower element during the autonomous period.
Refining the closed-loop driver controls to ensure smooth handling, precise turn rates, and repeatable alignment for the shooting mechanism during tele-op.

Drive Team: Practice Under Pressure

Following team tryouts, our official drive team lineup is locked in. The drivers have been practicing their driving skills to build stick-time muscle memory, refine coordination between driver and operator, and get comfortable with the robot's real-time field dynamics.