Our team participates in several robotics competitions each year and an animation project. The robotics competitions require what is called a ‘build’. This is the period of time allowed to design, manufacture, program and test the robot and otherwise prepare for the competition. Two of our competitions are through FIRST, which organizes robotics competitions as a way to promote science and technology. We also sponsor an animation team that creates a safety animation for FRC. In the spring, we do a competition sponsored by MATE, which requires making underwater ROV’s. See more details on the pages about these competitions.

In order to prepare team members for the builds, we do training programs in the fall each year. This includes basic level classes for new members and advanced classes by mentors and sponsors for experienced members. We also do a variety of hands-on projects each fall for practical experience. See the team training pages for more details or to download our lesson plans and materials.

We use a lot of tools during the build to make our robots. It is important that team members be properly trained in how to use these tools safely, so we have a comprehensive Safety training program that all members must complete prior to using shop equipment. See the safety training pages for more details or to try our safety tests.

Our team enjoys robotics and feels technology programs can benefit others. We look for opportunities to make presentations about robotics competitions, STEM education and more to students, potential sponsors and our community. We recently organized a week long robotics day camp at Alderwood Boys and Girls club. We also help promote the FIRST Lego League program by mentoring teams and hosting a Regional Competition. See the community outreach pages for more details.