FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC): The Real Deal

The FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is a global sport where high school teams build robots to compete in a yearly game. Unlike battlebots, FRC emphasizes Gracious Professionalism, highlighting a competitive yet respectful spirit. I was part of team 2046 Bear Metal from Tahoma High School, which had around 80 members divided into subteams focusing on various engineering aspects. I spent my first two years on the design team and co-founded the General Programming Team (GPT) in my third year.

When the annual challenge is announced in January, an intense 8-week period begins, during which we design, prototype, fabricate, and program the robot. As a design team member, I quickly became immersed in CAD work for prototypes and the final robot. FRC's hands-on format promotes experiential learning of core engineering principles in a fun, competitive environment. I learned to collaborate effectively and consider practical design challenges, improving my problem-solving skills.

In my final year, I shifted focus to co-found GPT, which handled tasks beyond robot code, such as managing our website, setting up a VR simulation, and creating our first electronic scouting system. This system was crucial for making data-driven decisions during the drafting process after qualification rounds. We scouted other teams, gathering data to inform our choices. My friend developed an Android app for data collection, while I created a Java desktop application that wirelessly received, stored, and exported the data for analysis in Excel and Tableau. This was my largest coding project and the first time I applied my skills practically. Although the system was imperfect, it laid the groundwork for future electronic scouting after my graduation

Below are pictures and documents related to my work in FRC.