Welcome to the RoboTrig Pilot

RoboTrig Spring 2026

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The RoboTrig Challenge: Designing Motion with Precision

In this unit, you will step into the role of a Motion Engineer. Your challenge is to design and mathematically validate the movement of a two-link robotic arm—the same type of essential hardware used in advanced manufacturing, surgical systems, and cutting-edge animation studios.

You won’t just solve math problems; you’ll solve a real user’s problem by translating their specific need into a validated digital motion path.

Using Math as a Precision Tool

This unit will level up your trigonometry skills. You will learn to use math the way engineers do:

Coordinate Motion: Master the Unit Circle and radians to track and control joint rotation.
Calculate Reach & Position: Use SOHCAHTOA, the Law of Sines, and the Law of Cosines to determine reach, angles, and precise coordinates.
Build the Algorithm: Construct Forward and Inverse Kinematic models: converting joint angles to positions and positions back to the required angles.
Predict & Optimize: Create and interpret motion graphs (angle vs. time) to analyze how smoothly and efficiently the robot can move.

Thinking Like a Professional Engineer

The technical math is only half the story. You will also apply the full engineering design cycle:

Define the Problem: Interview a “user” and turn their goals into measurable design criteria and constraints.
Iterate & Improve: Choose a strategy, use feedback and evidence to revise your work, and document your decisions like an engineer.
Justify & Present: Deliver a final presentation with your design rationale, calculations, diagrams, and pseudocode describing the logic of your path planning.

The Outcome

By the end of this challenge, you will have designed a validated motion path that a real robot could follow, and you will have built genuine engineering skills that connect high-level trigonometry directly to real-world applications.

About NYC First

Our Mission

NYC FIRST inspires and empowers students from diverse communities across New York City to engage with STEM and robotics in meaningful and joyful ways. We create authentic learning experiences that encourage young people to think critically and creatively, and to persevere. NYC FIRST is investing in New York City’s future by preparing the next generation of innovators and leaders.

Our Vision

NYC FIRST is building out a new STEM-based civic infrastructure that broadens resources, delivers opportunity, and sets young people on pathways to success, both academically and professionally, through engaging, high-quality STEM education and robotics programming. This vision is centered on our network of STEM Centers, which level the playing field by centralizing valuable resources – including computing, software, fabrication equipment, and expert NYC FIRST staff and mentors – and nurturing a powerful, close-knit, socioeconomically integrated community within a highly cost-effective, scalable structure.

Why we exist

STEM education opens doors to fulfilling learning experiences and careers, but too many of New York City’s youth don’t have access to engaging science, technology, engineering, and mathematics resources. Without meaningful opportunities to discover and apply STEM, they don’t pursue it in school or in their professional lives.

Many schools lack the resources to provide STEM education that inspires students to pursue these fields in college and prepares them to meet benchmark qualifications.

To enter and succeed in the STEM job market, young people need to develop both technical and life skills, such as teamwork, leadership, respect, and empathy.

Women, people of color, and students from low-income communities in the US are underrepresented in STEM industries. We raise awareness about the opportunities STEM offers and provide access to support for pursuing STEM careers.

Impact

We provide the spark that leads to a lifetime love of STEM. Every student in our programs finds the building blocks of confidence and character necessary to succeed in any field and career they choose.

NYC FIRST students across gender, race, and income are three times more likely to be interested in STEM activities, careers, identity, and knowledge.

NYC FIRST alumni are enrolled at top engineering schools, such as MIT, Olin College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Young women in FIRST programs have significant gains in all STEM areas, including STEM interest, career interest, activity, knowledge, and identity.

By their fourth year of college, FIRST alumni are more likely to be majoring in STEM fields than their peers in the comparison group.

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