Cardinal Robotics: A Season of Bold Builds and Valuable Lessons

Once again, the FTC robotics season has come to a close, again paying off with several impressive achievements. THe team earned the Innovate Award at their qualifier and claimed second place in the Design category at the regional competition. Though they aren’t proceeding to states as previously hoped, their reputation as a powerhouse of QHSS’ competitive teams has once again been proven.

This year was an unique record in robotics history, as they had one of the boldest agendas yet. For the first time ever, the team made the choice to design every single part of the robot, meaning there were no limits to the modifications they could make. This fresh approach allowed for a high level of customization, but it came with its own set of challenges. Building from scratch required precision, patience, and a great deal of trial and error. As a result, the team faced a few unforeseen kinks before each competition. “One of our biggest issues was that the robot faced electrostatic discharge (ESD) issues, which means electrical components were subjected to sudden voltage spikes, frying the control system,” recounts Zahin Islam, construction member. With this challenge occurring just days before the competition, the build team rushed to replace it by borrowing new hubs from Cornell tech, their FTC partner. Other times, they weren’t so lucky. Malfunctions that didn’t appear in practice came up under the pressure of competition day, wires kept getting unplugged, leaving the team wounded and at a loss for awards.

Despite these obstacles, the team pushed through. “We’re proud of how the robot turned out,” said Jay Ahuja, programming head. “Custom making a robot was a more complex process than we’d anticipated, and mishaps did occur during the competition. Issues that had never happened in practice occurred, but despite that, we performed well.”

The competition itself was an exciting ride, with the team earning recognition for their robot and making it to the city qualifier. However, despite an impressive showing, they ultimately fell short. Jay explained, “Our loss was due to some robot malfunctions and issues with judging for awards, but it wasn’t in vain. We learned a lot throughout our competitions, and we all feel like, although it may not show on paper, it was our best year!”

Looking ahead, the robotics team is already planning for next year, determined to start early and iron out the robot’s remaining issues.

“Currently, we’re working to fix up the issues present on the robot so it works as intended,” said Jay Ahuja.  “Once that is complete, our plan is to apply to citywide or national-level competitions to scrimmage in. These competitions will provide great outreach for the team and serve as great driving practice for next year. As of now, our goal is just to educate our members and attend competitions to increase our experience.”

The goal for the upcoming season is clear: to continue improving, learn from each challenge, and build stronger, more competitive robots. Whether it’s scrimmaging or attending national events, every competition is another step forward in the team’s journey.