The Palo Alto High School Robotics Team is a student-run organization that encourages creativity and innovation among its members and in the larger community. Our main event is the FIRST Robotics Competition, which invites high school students from across the globe to build and compete with robots, while encouraging engineering skill and gracious professionalism.
About FIRST
The FIRST Robotics Competition is an international high school robotics competition organized by FIRST. As of early 2007, 1,303 high school teams of 32,500 students from Brazil, Canada, The Netherlands, Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and others compete to build robots weighing up to 120 pounds that can complete a task that changes every year. Teams are given a standard set of parts and the game details at the beginning of January and are given six weeks to construct a competitive robot, that can operate autonomously as well as when guided by wireless controls, to accomplish the game's tasks.
Projects & Competitions
Throughout the schoolyear, the Palo Alto High School Robotics Team participates in a wide variety of technology-related competitions and projects.
Lemelson-MIT Inventeams
We have been named a Lemelson-MIT InvenTeam for the 2006-2007 schoolyear. We are currently developing a product that would allow a quadriplegic or arthritic to control any household device using a head-mounted laser pointer.
F.I.R.S.T.
Since 1996 the Palo Alto High School Robotics Team has participated in the FIRST Robotics Competition. Most recently, we were semifinalists at the 2007 Las Vegas Regional and the winners of the 2006 Las Vegas Regional.
SVRSI
In 2007 we are starting the Silicon Valley Resource Sharing Initiative, a program to allow local teams an easier channel for sharing resources and giving and receiving help. The aim is to have local veteran teams provide timely and useful assistance to local rookies to help foster the spirit of FIRST. This would also include sharing our machine shop with other local teams who have been using hand tools for robot fabrication.
Team Organization
The Palo Alto High School Robotics Team is made up of five separate divisions, each dealing with a different aspect of the FIRST Robotics Competition. All members participate in the PR division, and most members are involved in more than one team.
Build
The largest of the five divisions, the build team is responsible for brainstorming, designing, building and maintaining our robot. Robot design involves Computer Aided Design software (CAD), as well as use of our machine shop to make precise and precise-enough parts.
Programming
Programmers use the C++ language to program our robots to perform at peak performance. From autonomous functions of every kind, such as automatically aiming firing mechanisms, to software allowing the drivers maximum control over the robot, such as traction control to prevent wheel slippage.
Strategy & Intelligence
This new division focuses on interacting with other teams we mean to compete against or with. Members create a game strategy, work with the build team, and record information about other teams during the competition. Intelligence is an area that is still evolving, but generally involves the collection and analysis of large amounts of data.
Animation
The animation team uses Autodesk software to create a 30-second three-dimensional animation which displays our robot performing, and other aspects of the FIRST Competition. The animation is shown at the regional and national FIRST competitions, and considered part of the annual challenge.
Public Relations
The entire team participates in public relations, but several designated members handle publicity, funding, and general organization of the team.
Team Values
Safety The Palo Alto High School Robotics Team is committed to safety. This means that all safety precautions must be followed at all times when using any tool. This includes safety glasses, which must be worn at all times while in our lab and in the pits at regionals. We always have several first aid kits on hand, as well as fire extinguishers and ice packs. We keep a clean shop: significant time has been spent keeping a neat lab because the benefit is twofold: both in productivity and safety.
Gracious Professionalism
Key to the spirit of FIRST is 'Gracious Professionalism'. This means that, while at regoinals, teams help each other. FIRST is not about secrets, nor sabotage. If you can help someone out, do it. Everyone learns more this way, and it is more fun.
Sustainability
New this year, we add the value of sustainability. We will be looking at ways to encourage science and technology at the middle and elementary school level. In addition, we are considering several revenue streams to help with the fiscal sustainability of the team.
Fun
Some team members enjoy geometry and torque problems. For the rest of us, robotics provides a group of friends who enjoy animation, tinkering or science.
