Robots. They are complicated machines designed to perform specific tasks using pre-programmed instructions and algorithms. Robotics. A branch of engineering that involves the construction, design, and programming of robots. As a high-schooler interested in robotics, I decided to join a local FRC team. FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition) is a robotics competition aimed towards high-schoolers, teams are given 8 weeks to design a robot that is able to perform certain tasks in relation to the game and participate in competitions in alliances of 3 teams. For example, this season’s game, Rapid React, gave robots 2 tasks to perform during the 2:30 second match interval, shoot balls in either a low goal or high goal and traverse a set of monkey bars that are not equal distance from the ground (more information here). My team, the Roboeagles, designed and constructed a robot that has a fixed intake (a method to take in balls), a hooded shooter aimed towards the high goal (a shooter that does not change position), and 2 rack and pinions connected to 2 hooks each to climb to the mid rung and low rung. Although my team was unable to make it to the FRC World Championship in Houston this year, we had a fun time competing and we learned a lot of stuff at competitions. Learn more about the RoboEagles at www.roboeagles.org