Unified Robotics is a Team-based experience where neurodiverse students work together to build and program a LEGO robot. It is modeled after competitive high school robotics, with a fixed season where Teams have several weeks to imagine and build a robot, culminating in a championship tournament and celebration. All participating students are recognized for their efforts in Unified Robotics.

The organization was started by FIRST Robotics Alumni Delaney Locher in 2015 as a way to expand access to robotics. Her sister, Kendall Foster, has autism, and Delaney has been a life-long advocate of inclusive education. She now leads the organization, which is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Seattle, Washington.

There are 16 regions from Michigan to Australia made up of more than 42 schoools and organizations that host teams.

Anyone can join, with no previous robotics experiences needed to be a partner or an athlete. All you need is an interest in STEM and a willingness to collaborate! The one-on-one partnerships allow for lots of flexibility to meet different levels of ability.

Unified Robotics is proud to be community-driven, partnering with local FIRST teams, Special Olympics branches, and FIRST branches to enable growth in a region.

On November 4th, from 6 to 7 pm, we will be hosting an informational meeting in the BC Library/LAUNCH space for interested athletes and their families. We plan to give a short presentation, answer any questions, and give an introduction to the kits we will use. We look forward to meeting everyone!

After we have a roster of interested Athetes and Partners, we will form partnerships and publish a meeting schedule.

Teams will meet 7-8 times, approximately 2x per month, after school in the library for 1-2 hours during the build season.

All teams will meet at the same time in the BC Library/LAUNCH space. Teams will work together to build, code, decorate, and test their robot for 1-2 hours every other week. Support staff and coaches will be available at meetings.

The Championship is the end-of-season event where all Teams come together to celebrate and compete in a tournament. Over the course of the day, Teams will take part in matches with their robots and interact with Judges, sharing their experiences from the season. The event ends with an Awards Ceremony where every Team, including the tournament winners, are recognized with an award.

This year, teams will have the opportunity to attend a showcase of their work and compete against other teams. Date and details TBD.