FIRST Team 3512, a high school robotics team based at Orcutt Academy High School, competed at the world championships in Houston, Texas, April 20-23. The team was honored to attend the championships, for which only 450 of the best teams qualified. This is the fifth time the team has attended since Spartatroniks was founded 12 years ago.
The team competed through 10 matches played in alliances of three robots against three robots. FIRST Robotics Competition, while intense, is played in a sportsman like fashion and is generally not like battle bots.
(FIRST is the acronym for Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology, a global program that encourages high school students to get hands-on STEM experience through friendly competition.)
Robots are built, programmed and driven by students to complete tasks such as shooting balls into a goal and climbing up onto horizontal rungs. At the end, 3512 ranked in 46th place among its division of 75 teams. They were chosen as the third robot to the sixth-seeded alliance, which went on to the division semifinals.
It costs about $40,000 to fund the team’s trip to world championships, and the team is sustained entirely through grants, sponsorships, and community fundraisers. The team appreciates all the backing received from the community.
Community members can support FIRST Team 3512 by buying fireworks from its Phantom Fireworks booth at the Santa Maria Crossroads Shopping Center, or by purchasing a ticket to the July 9 barbecue at the Orcutt Lions Club.
Learn more about FIRST Team 3512 at spartatroniks.com. More on FIRST Robotics can be found at firstinspires.org.
