The Loomis Chaffee robotics team went to the first qualifying event of the season at Wolcott High School on January 13 and, you might say, clawed its way into the state championships.
“Even though we made some big changes to our robot on the fly, we adapted throughout the competition,” said assistant coach Jen Solomon, a science teacher and associate director of innovation. “Ultimately, the team won the Innovate Award for our innovative claw design, and that qualified us to go to the state championship on February 17.”
The FIRST Tech Challenge game manual for the 2023–24 season says the Innovate Award “celebrates a team that thinks imaginatively and has the ingenuity, creativity, and inventiveness to make their designs come to life. This judged award is given to the team that has the most innovative and creative robot design solution to any specific components in the FIRST Tech Challenge game. Elements of this award include elegant design, robustness, and ‘out of the box’ thinking related to design. This award may address the design of the whole robot or of a sub-assembly attached to the robot.”
The linear slide attaches to the robot and holds the claw, which is used to perform tasks, and was designed in the Pearse Hub for Innovation (PHI) using computer-assisted design and a 3D printer.
“Other teams that had similar components bought prepackaged metal slides,” said senior Michael Li, an engineering captain for the team responsible for designing and building the robot. “We originally were going to use one but figured it would be too heavy. It was hard to work with, and we did not have space on our robot, so we decided to make one ourselves. That kind of set us apart from the other teams because it was entirely designed and made by us.”
Sophomore Emma Chu is the programming captain, responsible for how the robot works and performs its tasks. “I have always loved problem-solving and have found enjoyment through programming,” Emma said.
Michael said he enjoys building things and being hands-on, so the engineering role suits him. There’s more, though.
“What appeals to me about robotics is working as a team,” Michael said. “I have a lot of fun doing things with the team and working on problems as a whole rather than just myself.”
Michael and Emma spoke about the robotics team in the PHI, where a whiteboard was off to the side with to-do lists and notes. There is little time to rest for the team called HAX Robotics.
Next up is an event at Windsor High School on January 27. Having already qualified for states, LC can use the Windsor High competition to fine-tune the robot’s performance.
“It also gives us a chance to see how other teams have progressed,” Michael said. “We get to see what our competition is doing.”
The head coach of the team is science teacher Larry Brackney. Julia Hinchman, also a science teacher, is an assistant along with Jen.