The Infinity Robotechs are a third year robotics team based in Venetia, PA. We participate in the FIRST Tech Challenge, a worldwide competition in which teams design and build a robot to accomplish various tasks in a two on two competition. The team consists of nine high school aged teens who live in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. We were established before the 2016-17 FTC season, but some of our members had prior experience with other local teams. Contrary to other teams in the area, we are not affiliated with any school or school district. Therefore, we rely entirely on our members and sponsorships to fund various expenses, such as entry fees and parts for the robot.
Robotechs in the Community
The Infinity Robotechs realize how important it is to make a mark in our local community through various initiatives and projects. One of the things that we focus on is educating and raising awareness of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in young students. We do this by teaching 10-12 year old elementary students about FTC. Because many of our members are in high school, we realize that they will need replaced when they graduate. Our goal is to inspire elementary students enough to want to join our team and replace graduating seniors who have aged out of FTC. Thus, when we graduate our team will continue on with us as mentors for the future of FTC.
We have gone about accomplishing our goals through a variety of means. Sometimes we speak about FTC at local elementary schools. Recently, our team went to McMurray Elementary to share our love of robotics and STEM with fifth grade enrichment students. The teachers later told us that the students had a great time and enjoyed the activities that we had set up for them. Another time we brought our robot to a FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) at California University of Pennsylvania. There, we informed the public about FTC, demonstrated our robot, and even let young students drive our robot around the field. It's always a very rewarding experience to give back to our community, and one of our favorite ways is by engaging with the bright young minds of the future.
About FIRST Tech Challenge
The FIRST Tech Challenge is, as mentioned previously, a worldwide competition in which teams design and build a robot to accomplish various tasks in a two on two competition. Through the process of building the robot and listening to our mentors, we have to opportunity to gain invaluable knowledge about robotics, engineering, computer programming, marketing, problem solving, and competing. Through the process of building and competing, we learn the important values of teamwork, respect, integrity, and community in a hands-on environment. We also learn about the process behind creating a final product, because we have to create an engineering notebook to design and hold our ideas, and a business plan to secure the necessary funds to continue our operations. If you are interested in learning about the FIRST Tech Challenge, check them on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/FIRSTTechChallenge or visit the website: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/ftc
Our Business Plan
While the engineering, design, and production of the robot is important, none of our accomplishments would be possible without sound business practices. If you would like to view our business plan: Click Here
Mission Statement
Our mission is to foster an environment in which students can experience STEM first hand and grow in their leadership and communication, along with learning practical skills. We aim to maintain an infectious enthusiasm for FIRST robotics and make an impact in our community via educational outreach.
Resources
These are links that our team has found helpful in building our robot and succeeding in competition. Whether you are a member of a new team or an experienced team, feel free to check out these resources. This is meant to be used as a reference for both members of the Infinity Robotechs and any other FTC teams.