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This year, I had the chance to be part of the TFS Robotics Unicorns team at the FTC Robotics Provincial competition held at Brock University. It was a day full of excitement, learning, and teamwork! Let me walk you through the experience.

We started the day by gathering at the main campus, where I helped load the robot and all the equipment onto the bus. After about two hours, we arrived at the university and got to work setting up our booth. We practiced for our presentation, making sure everything was in place. We were all feeling a bit nervous, but it was great to practice and get ready.

At lunchtime, I helped order pizza for everyone. I gathered everyone’s orders and put them into his phone. Once we had lunch, it was time for the official presentation. Even though I wasn’t part of the presentation this year, I plan to be involved next year. It was amazing to watch how the judges interacted with the teams and the different projects.

Our presentation was about what our club had been working on throughout the season. The team talked about the changes we made to the robot, like switching the wheels to grey ones so it could move smoothly left and right, and adding a 3D-printed bucket for better performance. They also explained how we improved the robot’s reliability during the autonomous phase with some geometry adjustments.

Another interesting part of the presentation was our outreach project. The TFS Robotics Unicorns have been working with the Coast Guard on a search and rescue drone. This drone is special because it can fly vertically and has a camera that works even in the dark. I was really interested in how the project worked and asked a lot of questions to the guy in charge. He answered all my questions about how they made the drone so advanced.

After the presentation, we watched some robot matches. I didn’t participate in the matches, but next year, I’ll definitely be a part of the team! I’m excited to play a role and help out. We were watching the other teams compete, and it was amazing to see the different types of robots. Some teams had robots with claws, while others used elevators or snake-like mechanisms to grab objects.

The coolest thing about our robot is the bucket we added, which can carry multiple objects at once. This gave us a speed advantage, and our robot is super precise. Many of the other teams had similar robots, but we felt confident in ours, especially with the intake system we were using. Not many teams had this system, so we stood out!

At the event, there were some teams that weren’t doing as well, but many had unique and creative robots. Some teams even had flat, smaller robots that still worked really well. The competition was tough, but we were ready to take it on.

Tomorrow, we’re going to have a bunch of matches, and hopefully, we’ll qualify for nationals or worlds. Some team members couldn’t make it because of exams, but we’re still excited to compete. We have to be at the main campus before 6 a.m., so it’s going to be an early start. But I’m looking forward to seeing how far we can go!

Overall, it was an incredible experience, and I can’t wait for next year. I’m proud to be part of the TFS Robotics Unicorns, and I’m ready for even more challenges and victories in the future!

— A Grade 8 TFS Robotics Unicorns Team Member