Hard work pays off for robotics team

It has often been said that it’s not the destination that matters, but the journey. While it certainly may be satisfying to win a nice shiny trophy along with the bragging rights, these past few months have taught me that it really is the journey – the weeks and hours upon hours of preparation, hard-work and sweat – that is truly more important. It is the friendships and bonds that I’ve formed, the real-life application, the lessons I have learned … that’s the real take away from being part of a FIRST Robotics Team.
Looking back, I never thought that I would play a role in something as satisfying as building a functional robot, from scratch, for FIRST’s 2014 FRC challenge, Aerial Assist. It seemed impossible, something that only professionals could accomplish – designing and programming a robot that would fulfill this year’s task of scoring low and high goals with a huge, super-sized ball, in just six weeks. Yet, in that short time frame, my robotics team, The Titanium Titans FRC #4467, answered this challenge in the form of the robot we aptly named Promethius. With all of the snow days and hazardous travel conditions that cost us precious building time, we had to put Promethius in the “Lock-up” bag on Feb. 19 without knowing whether or not it was functional.
And so, suited with a pair of shiny pants, the Titanium Titans arrived at the Pittsburgh Regional Competition at California University on March 27. We were pleased to discover that due to it’s simple yet functional design, our robot was ready to take on the FIRST game challenge with a few minor repairs. While at the competition, something that never failed to surprise me was the Gracious Professionalism I saw (a term trademarked by FIRST). Despite the fact that all of the robots would be competing against each other at some point during the event, teams would help each other out. Whether they just needed a spare part or major assistance with robot repairs, FIRST Robotics Teams stepped up to the challenge of assisting and supporting one another during the entire competition. Since our robot was operating well, the Titanium Titans were able to send out repair teams to help out over 30 percent of the teams present at the competition. We even assisted some teams by creating signs for their pit area, as six teams didn’t have a sign to identify their team. So, Titanium Titans FRC #4467 set to work with colored duct tape and tested our artistic abilities to display their name and logo as best we could. It was an awesome feeling!
The experience at my first FIRST Regional Competition was unforgettable – from the enthusiasm and wild cheering to the exciting fast-paced matches between the robots. Of course, a highlight of the competition was seeing each team’s mascot – varying from a red cardinal with the sign “Free Hugs,” to our own mascot: a Greek Titan suited in armor. After placing 13th out of 48 robots in the qualifiers, our robot Promethius made it to the quarterfinals in an alliance with a team from Florida, and another local robotics club, AMP’d Robotics from McKeesport. It was all very exciting despite the technical difficulties that took us out of the final matches.
The experiences I have had from being a part of the Titanium Titans Team #4467 have been truly unforgettable, and I simply cannot wait for next year’s challenge! Who knew robotics could be so FUN? However, none of this would have been possible without our generous sponsors and the dedication of our mentors and team leaders. Most notably, we owe a huge thank you to our primary sponsors – Perryman Company, NASA, Comcast NBC Universal, Western Area Career & Technology Center, Performance Titanium Group, Accutrex and the Peters Township Public Library. Many thanks go out to our hard working team coaches Tim Angert and Julie Ogburn.
Our team members come from nine different school districts throughout the South Hills of Pittsburgh, and a diverse array of communities and backgrounds. For more information about the Titanium Titans, visit www.titaniumtitans.org or email jointheteam@titaniumtitans.org. Like us on Facebook at Titanium Titans Robotics.
Stephanie Wang is a freshman at Peters Township High School.