VEX-U Lancer Robot — "Spin Up"

Joining a brand-new competition club is a daunting challenge — team organization, scheduling, and getting the footing needed to build a competition robot within a small time frame. That was the problem we faced in October 2022. We found a small space previously used to store tools and, over two weeks, converted it into a robotics lab, then gathered as many parts as we could on a tight budget to begin building.

Our president structured the team into four groups: programming, build, manufacturing, and marketing. Our objective was to pick up discs and score in a basket against other VEX college teams — requiring hours of work developing diagnostics, the drive train, and maneuvering/firing algorithms. I collaborated with a team of eight programmers and our three other divisions to develop reliable code.

During competition, I also assisted the mechanical team with repairs and new parts. With only 30 minutes between each run, working efficiently was critical to making adjustments to the robot.

Our first competition was held in February 2023, and despite being the youngest club there, we won 6 of our 10 matches before losing in the quarterfinals — a strong showing for a first-year team.