Welcome to robotics! A team of robot engineers and enthusiasts that meet weekly to collaborate on next generation ro-bionics. Watch out for these guys, before you know it we’ll be using their products to wash our cars and cook our meals.
Lars Cain and John Kehl are a sophomore and senior respectively, who have been working in the program since middle school.
“We are building a robot to compete in the FIRST Tech Challenge 2016-2017 robotics game,” said Cain. “The game changes every year, and this year, it’s based on scoring points by shooting whiffle-sized balls into goals, scoring beacons, and moving a large inflatable ball around a field.”
John Kehl, a senior and current leader of the club, has been doing robotics in some form or another for seven years. He is currently working on a little arm that will be pressing a button in the next competition.
Each year, the club takes apart the old robot and uses its parts to build a new one.
“It’s really cool to see a pile of [s]crap slowly turn into something that can move and do useful things,” said Kehl. “Moreover, it’s interesting to see how, throughout the season, the robot itself changes as we find better ways to accomplish various tasks.”
The club is hoping to do well in its upcoming competitions, especially super-regionals, since it’s being held so close to home.
“Last year, [regionals] was held in Oakland,” said Cain, “and this year, it is being held in Everett, which is really cool.”
“It’s a great time to do well!” said Kehl.
The club lost some talented alumni last year, and are welcoming in many new members, so they are unsure what the future will hold in terms of placing in competitions. However, everyone is excited about learning new techniques and having fun building a great robot for the upcoming season.