Silicon Valley Technos, a community club based in San Jose, California, traces its roots back to a group of like-minded high schoolers with a background in middle school level robotics. Starting as an FTC team, the club's trajectory took a transformative turn upon discovering FRC and the potential to construct industrial-scale robots. With an expanded team fueled by passionate parents volunteering as mentors and the unwavering support of the FRC community, Silicon Valley Technos set its sights on ambitious goals.

During the preseason, the club delved into learning and honing skills such as CADding, prototyping various chassis, wiring, coding, and utilizing cameras, particularly on the Romi platform. The decision to build a swerve drive robot, a daring move for a rookie team, showcased their determination to tackle one of the most complicated drivetrains in the realm of building, programming, and tuning. The experimental robot, Swerve-E, became a testament to their dedication, constructed with 3D printed parts and Arduino drivers.

As the 2023 Reveal approached, Silicon Valley Technos had developed the skills to handle the challenge, prompting a shift from their initial plan of creating a defense robot. The addition of a 3-stage claw for grasping cones and cubes, coupled with a Limelight-assisted driver feature, demonstrated their commitment to innovation.

Entering the Central Valley Regional with a fully functional robot capable of handling both cones and cubes autonomously, Silicon Valley Technos faced the realities of field competition. Despite initial struggles, their adaptability and perseverance allowed them to overcome challenges like batteries running out, loose wiring, 3D printed parts breaking, and a slow and fragile arm. Continuous adjustments and strategic refinements propelled them to the 16th rank out of 38 teams, securing the title of the Best Rookie.

The journey to Worlds was a significant milestone, driven by the accolades of the Highest Rookie Seed Award and the coveted Rookie All-Star Award. Learning the concepts of Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition, Silicon Valley Technos received invaluable support from other teams, illustrating the collaborative spirit of the FRC community.

Selected to compete in the FIRST Championship, the club went into overdrive, reflecting on regional experiences and redesigning parts of the robot for enhanced performance. The Championship arena, hosting 8 competitions simultaneously, provided a life-changing experience where Silicon Valley Technos strategized, collaborated, and performed exceptionally well.

The journey began in January 2023 with the Charged Up challenge, leading to meticulous planning for a multistage arm on a swerve drivetrain. The team's dedication to improvement was evident as they rebuilt the swerve drive with better components and simultaneously designed and programmed a miniature swerve drive for better comprehension.

March marked their debut at the Central Valley Regional, where the club faced the scale and intensity of FRC. Despite challenges, the FIRST values of Gracious Professionalism and Cooperation shone through, exemplified by the assistance of neighboring teams when critical components failed. The hard work paid off with the acquisition of the Rookie All-Star Award and the Highest Rookie Seed Award.

Recognizing the need for improvements, especially in the face of the World Championships, Silicon Valley Technos undertook the task of building a new arm and fine-tuning their swerve drive code. Sponsorship from Marvell Technologies facilitated the transportation of their enhanced robot to Houston, where they collaborated with teams from around the world, capping off a rookie season characterized by learning, challenges, and memorable moments in the FIRST Robotics Challenge.

Our final robot was equipped with:

• An 8-motor swerve drive system

• A high-speed angled elevator and lateral movement mechanism.

• A ground intake mechanism designed to pick up cubes

• Deployable forks for secure attachment to already-balanced charge stations

• Anav Apparaju 
• Anshay Chandrupatala
• Charan Sridhar
• Elaine Lee
• Hiruna Fernando
• Kailesh Jothikumar
• Milton Tran
• Sepandar Farhood