Skunk Works Robotics just completed its 20th season competing in the FRC division of FIRST robotics “FIRST Inspires.”

The Skunks were on the winning alliance at the Sammamish District event in March and qualified for the PNW District Championships held in Cheney at Eastern Washington University in April.

FIRST robotics does involve building robots, but it is much more than that – students are part of a competitive team that works together to analyze a game challenge that is different every season. They must decide what the most important scoring opportunities are in the game and how to design, build and program a robot that can meet those opportunities. The game challenge is announced in January and competitions begin in March so teams have to work fast and balance priorities to make sure they have a robot ready to take the field.

The Skunks meet at Highline College and have team members from over a dozen schools. The team is looking for 9-12 graders, and perhaps some motivated 8th graders, to be a part of a competitive robotics team and have fun while learning. An interest in STEM is useful but no special knowledge is required. Learn while doing.

Skunk Works Robotics is comprised of multiple subteams. The design subteam tries to take the decisions and goals that were determined during the game analysis and find a way to structure a robot that can move around the field quickly and safely while performing its required tasks. There are size and weight limits for each season so designers must take those requirements into consideration. There are also other robots on the game field so collisions are inevitable and durability is a factor as well as ease of repair when durability wasn’t enough.

The electrical subteam has to work with the design subteam to wire all of the motors and sensors and cameras on the robot. The robot’s battery must be readily accessible as it has to be swapped out every match but sensitive electronics have to be protected from damage, dust and metal shavings.

Programmers design the controls and logic that run the robot and integrates the data from its sensors into information that can be handled autonomously by the robot or displayed for the driver and operator.

The shop subteam makes the design a reality by creating the parts, prepping them and assembling the robot with its various subsystems. Some parts are available from specialty vendors while others are made from sheet metal, polycarbonate, 3D printed parts and other materials.

There are two other subteams that are very important to the team that may not immediately come to mind. The scouting subteam takes the game challenge and analyzes it, breaking it down into different components so the abilities of each robot at a competition can be understood and rated. Data analytics has become a vital part of all professional and college sports and competitive robotics is no different. Knowing what your alliance partner or opponent is capable of and what their preferences or habits are can help devise a winning strategy.

The business and marketing subteam may work on a slightly different schedule and with different priorities than the others but it is no less vital. It is the connection from the team to the community, to supporters and sponsors and to other teams. Banners, outreach events, buttons, photography, social media…all come from the business and marketing subteam. Presentations and documentation for the team are also run by business and marketing.