Robo-sports.

Getting involved with FIRST Robotics is what propelled me into the field of mechatronics. When I began high school, we did not have an established robotics club. I was one of the founding members, and was later designated the team leader as a Grade 9 student. Our club focused on building a robot to compete in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), in which many high school teams brought their robots to a sports-like challenge.

FIRST Robotics Competition

We competed in a basketball-based challenge. Robots could score points by shooting balls into baskets or by balancing on bridges in the middle of the court.

Our robot was designed for bridge balancing, with a powered arm and small size for fitting multiple robots onto a single bridge. We were the first team in North America to successfully balance all three robots onto one bridge.

Team Photo

Yes, it was quite exciting to watch our "Little Robot That Could" perform on the court. We advanced to the quarterfinals of the competition, and also won the Judges' Award. I could not have asked for a more thrilling experience to kick-start my career in mechatronics engineering.