Octobots Robotics Team 9084 celebrated its second win of the season, taking home the Excellence in Engineering Award at the FIRST Robotics Central Valley Regional Competition in Fresno, California, April 4-6.

Octobots Robotics pit team gets entry ready for competition. (Courtesy Ocobots Robotics)
Octobots Robotics pit team gets entry ready for competition (Courtesy Ocobots Robotics)

The award salutes the team that “demonstrates a professional approach to the (robot) design process. The team must be able to describe the engineering process they went through and trace elements of the designs from conception, designs must reflect an engineering solution to a specific program, and its functional and practical use, and the designs must be elegant and advantageous on the field of play,” according to the FIRST officials.

Of the 42 teams competing in Fresno, Octobots Robotics was the only one to earn the Excellence in Engineering recognition at the event.

“Every part on our robot had a purpose, with our decisions backed by data and testing,” said Alex Gardiner, Octobots Robotics programming team lead, and Dos Pueblos High senior.

“The programming was created with drive functionality in mind to maximize our robot’s abilities. We are proud to see our hard work recognized with the Excellence in Engineering Award,” Gardiner said.

Recently, the team took home the Rising All-Star Award at the FIRST Robotics San Diego Regional Competition in San Diego, California last month.

Following the Central Valley Regional Competition, Octobots Robotics Team 9084 is ranked in the top 5% of FIRST Robotics teams (179 out of 3,690) worldwide; top 5% (147 out of 2,927) in the U.S.; and top 7% (19 out of 290) in California.

The Fresno event marks the end of the competition season for Octobots Robotics. Next, the team will focus on community outreach, including volunteering at local science nights and community fairs.

New this year, the team will offer a summer camp for students in grades five through nine that will provide hands-on experience in robotics and a pathway for young STEM-focused students to move into robotics.

Registration and need-base scholarship information available at https://teamoctobots.org/campseducation/.

Visit www.teamoctobots.org for more information.