A Weekend With Hal

This past weekend the competitive robotics teams went up island to Comox, where we competed in our first ever competition. We drove up on the Friday, and the teams got their robots inspected to see if they fit the requirements; they also got some practice driving.  Since September, these two teams have been diligently working on their robots. The competition required a robot to lift objects up to 5 feet high, as well as move cubes through a course. The size of the robot had to stay within an 18 x 18 range, and be able to extend out. Both teams came up with innovative and creative designs to tackle this challenge.  We woke up bright and early on Saturday and headed off to compete with 36 other teams. A unique aspect of these robotics competitions is that you are randomly paired up with another team for the preliminary rounds. This really teaches teamwork and how to make the best out of a situation, as you could easily be pair with someone who is much better or worse than you.  Despite this being Brentwood’s first competition, both teams won their first matches. In the end, the teams were ranked 16th and 17th and one of our teams moved to the semifinals. Though they put up a tough fight, they didn’t make it to finals.  This is a very proud moment for the Brentwood robotics teams, as it put us on the map for more competitions to come. A big thanks to the coaches, Mr. Doehler and Mr. Campbell, as well as Mrs. Olszewski for chaperoning. Linnea M, Allard ‘17