What Does It Take to Make a Championship Robot?

One group of dedicated Marquette High School students will start next year with a simple goal: to take over the world. 

The world, in this case, being the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics World Championship, which has been held in St. Louis for the last several years.

FIRST combines the excitement of sport with the rigors of science and technology. Under strict rules, limited resources and time limits, teams build and program robots to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors.

It’s become increasingly popular among students in the area, with Rockwood fielding a team at each of its high schools this year. The Marquette Team was split into two groups, the Gluons and the Baryons.

The Baryons were one of the teams that advanced to the state competition and after several grueling rounds, found themselves picked by a top-performing team to form an alliance for the final set of matches.

The duo emerged victorious and the Baryons took home a trophy. However, because the Marquette team was picked as part of an alliance instead of placing in the final outright, they will not advance to the World Championship, taking place April 24-27.

However, for team members Arjan Suresh and Ian Hoffmeyer, being part of the state championship team was an achievement enough, considering the Marquette program is only two years old. FIRST Robotics first started running competitions in 1989.

During a demonstration of their robots capabilities after school in early March, Hoffmeyer reflected on the challenges of crafting a winning machine.

“You need a design that works consistently,” he said, which can survive several matches in a row. “You don’t want to get too complicated.”

Teamwork is also a vital factor with each member of the club assigned a role varying from driver to builder to programmer. In addition to Suresh, who is the team leader, and Hoffmeyer, who serves as a programmer/driver, the Baryons include builder Chris Dennis and programmer/driver Bailey Eversmeyer.

It even involves business and marketing students, who must plan several promotional events for the team throughout the year.

Each year, FIRST presents a different challenge to robotics clubs and gives them an initial set of materials, meaning that each year high school teams must build again from scratch. 

Suresh and Hoffmeyer are both juniors and said they have already began planning for next year and hope to make an even deeper run into the competition. 

"Last year they went to state, this year we won state, so next year, it's the world," Hoffmeyer said.