January 2025: Kickoff!

The robotics season is in full swing as competition days approach. We are scheduled to attend the Sacramento Regional from March 14-17 and the East Bay Regional from April 3-6. We will need parent volunteers to drive students to and from the venues, so please sign up if you haven’t done so already.

Here are the instructions to get started: 

To drive students, you need to be a Level Three Volunteer. I recommend starting the application process now, as it takes about a month to complete. First, please register with the team using the Carlmont Robotics Volunteer Form. We will email you with instructions to complete the District’s online volunteer application. After that, you will receive an email from the District with instructions for your Live Scan fingerprinting, which you will need to complete. Please note that it may take the District 1-3 weeks to clear you as a Level Three Volunteer. (If you are unable to become a Level Three Volunteer, being a Level Two Volunteer would also help supervise the students during work sessions.) The team would greatly appreciate any time you can offer to transport students so everyone can participate in this and future competitions. Your support is invaluable, and we genuinely appreciate your willingness to help!

This year’s FIRST competition is called Reefscape. It is inspired by the ocean and challenges teams to use their engineering skills to help strengthen ocean habitats. Teams earn points by collecting “coral” (made from PVC pipes) and “algae” (represented by playground balls) and placing them in designated areas on the field. The game concludes as teams rush to hang their robots on “crab cages” (slim vertical structures) before time runs out. 

The competition presents challenges, as the coral hooks are at varying heights. Some are located about 3 feet off the ground, while others are 6 feet up, and these hooks are mounted on a raised platform. Additionally, algae can be scored in a net above the cages known as the barge. These different game components require the robot to have mechanisms capable of shooting the algae and reaching the high coral hooks. For more information, you can watch the official video here.

Right now, our students are working hard on prototyping and designing our robot, which consists of three main components: the elevator, drivetrain, and algae effector. The students are divided into mechanical subteams, each with specific goals to accomplish.

The elevator will help our robot reach the top coral piece and score points in the mid-height range. Additionally, they are exploring a hanging mechanism that will allow the robot to hang on the cages, potentially earning the team extra points.

The drivetrain team is responsible for constructing the main frame of the robot, while bumpers are added to ensure the robot remains safe during competition. The algae mechanics team is working on prototyping a method to intake the playground balls, referred to as “algae,” as well as a mechanism to shoot the balls into the barge (a feature on the playing field)  or roll them into another scoring zone called the processor.

We are fortunate to have a one-to-one replica of the essential game structures, thanks to the hard work of our parent volunteers. I would like to give a big shout out to them for their support and dedication to our robotics team.

If you are interested in what happens during our work sessions, please consider joining the mentor team. Your help is invaluable and enables us to perform at our best in this challenge.

We are excited to announce that we will soon be releasing new designs for hoodies and t-shirts! More information will be available in a few weeks. Additionally, we will be organizing a group order for team apparel, so stay tuned for details.

Thank you for being such an essential part of our robotics family! Whether you are volunteering, helping with transportation, or simply cheering for the team, your support means the world to us. We couldn’t do this without you, and we’re thrilled to face this season’s challenges together. We look forward to an exciting season ahead—let’s make this a fantastic year for Carlmont Robotics!