From March 4 to March 5, the Choate Robotics team traveled to Salem, New Hampshire, to compete in the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Competition, where they won first place in the New England division.
The team began working on their robot in early January. They started off with an extensive brainstorming process, during which they discussed tasks the robot needed to perform and decided on which ones to prioritize. Co-captain Kenedi Waymire ’22 explained, “We asked ourselves: what tasks would be most important to score the most points? Is it more important to climb? Is it more important to shoot in the low hub or the high hub?”
The next step entailed modeling the robot on a computer. Sebastian Plunkett ’24, who was largely involved in the computer-aided design (CAD) of the robot, said, “I basically modeled the entire robot on a computer first before we actually built it in real life just to avoid mistakes.” After the team completed a full assembly of their robot on CAD, they began hands-on manufacturing and construction. One guideline of the competition that proved challenging was the requirement that all parts and mechanisms must be built solely by the team. Waymire noted, “If you want your robot to have a parametric climber or if you want your robot to have a turret, you have to build that yourself.”
The unique design and skillset of the Choate robot were at the heart of its success. It could orient itself in any direction, climb in a pull-up motion, and intake two balls at once. “Our robot can move left, move right, move backward, move forward, and turn left and turn right, which makes it very easy to maneuver. The way it climbs is also very consistent to the point where we know that once it’s on there, it won’t fall,” Plunkett commented.
After nearly two months of had work, the Robotics team arrived at the tournament, or as Plunkett and Waymire referred to it, “the game.” There were a total of 40 teams present, and in the end, Choate defeated each one. The competition consisted of three rounds: the qualification rounds, the elimination rounds, and lastly, the finals. The team played 12 qualification rounds, scoring points for each event and task the robot completed. At one point, the robot lost its balance on a high monkey bar and fell to the ground. “It was terrifying,” said Waymire. “That is a 100-pound piece of metal falling on asphalt.”
The next round, named the elminations or the “playoffs,” consisted of alliances between teams and matches against other robots. Each time the Choate robot won a round, it moved closer and closer to the final round and the first-place trophy. “I’d never been so close to fainting in my life,” said Waymire. Ultimately, the Choate Robotics team won the entire competition with an undefeated record of 18-0. Valerie Gaudian ’23, along with Plunkett, won the Deans’ Finalist Award because of their dedication, leadership skills, and commitment to helping others. The team is now preparing for their next competition on April 8-10 in the Connecticut New England District Hartford event; even though they have already qualified for the New England District Championships, the Robotics team aspire to attend First Championship, a 4-day event in Houston, Texas, where 30 nations will be competing.
