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First Robotics FRC Competitions have started: Meet Your Local Team
- Simon Belda
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
FIRST is a children's K-12 engineering program that has children compete on many different levels, from FLL, which uses Legos, to FRC, which is full 100+ lb. robots. Each year, there is a new game and theme that all levels of FIRST use. This year, the theme was Rebuilt, with a heavy focus on archaeology and geology. In the FRC game, robots were designed to collect and shoot small yellow balls into a hexagonal goal area to
score points during matches. Teams had to design mechanisms that could pick up the balls, store them, and launch them accurately, while also working together to create strategies for the competition. Learn more here, or at: https://www.firstinspires.org/programs/frc/game-and-season
Our robot from team 159 Alpine Robotics is built at the maximum allowed frame dimensions, measuring 28.5" × 26.5" × 30" (L × W × H) and weighing 113 pounds. The design focuses heavily on ball storage and shooting, making it essentially a large hopper and shooter system. During a match, the robot can extend 12 inches outward, increasing its
size to 28.5" × 38.5" × 30". This extension allows for significantly more ball storage. Our main design goal was to maximize hopper size and shooter volume so we could hold and score more balls at once. This strategy allows our team to perform well in competition even if our shooter is not the most accurate. By storing a large number of balls, we can score over 80 points in a single hopper cycle, while most
Teams can only hold and score around 20–50 balls. The robot moves using an omnidirectional four-wheel drive system called swerve drive, which uses eight motors to control both driving and steering. This system allows the robot to move freely in any direction and reach speeds close to 20 mph, giving us fast and precise movement around the field.
Our drive team is made up of five people: the Driver, the Drive Coach, the Programmer, the Human Player, and the Technician. Each member has an important role in helping the robot perform at its best during a match. The Driver is responsible for controlling the robot and operating it to its maximum potential during the match. Driving requires quick reactions, strong focus, and a deep understanding of how the robot behaves on the field. Our driver is Josh, and he does an amazing job controlling the robot and responding to the fast pace of competition. The Drive Coach assists the driver by helping with timing, strategy, and awareness of what is happening around the field.
Since driving requires a lot of concentration, the coach acts as an extra set of eyes and helps the driver make quick decisions during the match. Our drive coach is Greyson. The Programmer works on strategy and ensures that the autonomous mode at the beginning of the match runs smoothly and scores as many points as possible before driver control begins. Our programmer is Evan. The Human Player starts the match with a specific number of game pieces, in this case, balls. During the match, robots can also feed additional balls to the human player, who then shoots them into the goal area to score extra points. Our human player is Henry. Finally, the Technician is responsible for helping prepare the robot for each match. They assist with loading and unloading the robot onto the field, performing quick repairs, and making sure everything is functioning properly. Our technician is Daniel. Together, these five team members work closely to make sure the robot performs efficiently and that the team is ready for every match.
Simon Belda is a junior in high school, and they are in their first year with the Poudre Press. They are known for being a leader on the robotics team, and they enjoy experiencing the natural and mechanical worlds through photography. After high school, they plan to attend an engineering college for aerospace engineering.
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