On Feb. 25, members of the Whitman Robotics Team attended a tournament in Glenelg, Maryland. The mock competition allowed the team to test their newly designed robot, participate in an unofficial inspection with robot inspectors and practice driving the robot. 

At Whitman, the robotics team is split into three main building sub-teams: mechanical, electrical and programming. The leads from each sub-team, in addition to the driving team, attended the competition.

The team mostly worked in the Pit, a space designated to store tools and fix the robot. The mechanical and electrical aspects of the robot are mostly finished, however, the programming sub-team needs time to refine and test before real competitions, said senior Alex Akpinar, a lead on the mechanical team. 

“More or less it works just like an actual event but without all the stress of everything we’ve done for the past six weeks depending on this moment,” Akpinar said. “It’s a good opportunity to test our systems, work out the kinks and test stuff on a practice field with other teams.”

On Jan. 6, 2024, FIRST Robotics Competition released the guidelines for this year’s tournament. After the release, teams began brainstorming and building their robots. This year, the competition involves having the robot throw and drop frisbees, called Notes, into different areas in the arena, called Speakers and Amps. Additionally, before the drive team can control the robot, there is a 15-second period where the robot’s movement is pre-programmed. Near the end of the round, robots attempt to hang from a chain, which scores the team extra points. 

Akpinar enjoys learning from other students in a collaborative environment, as they work together to reach a common goal, he said. 

“No one person knows how to build the entire robot on their own. We all know a little bit and maybe, but it all comes together,” Akpinar said. “It’s really cool because we’re just a bunch of high schoolers that built a robot.”