The FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an annual competition in which high school teams of 25 students or more compete to design, build, program, and test robots from scratch that perform set tasks and score game pieces in a 3 versus 3 alliance format. FRC Teams are not only expected to build excellent robots, but also to raise their own funds and help introduce their local community and fellow students to the world of robotics as well. Additionally, FRC promotes art as part of its mission to promote STEAM, by students to engage in graphic design, animation, photography, videography, and editing.
Team 3501 Firebots
The Fremont High School Firebots participate in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC). Students pour their heart into the robot across 4 different technical subteams—Mechanical Design, Manufacturing, Electrical, and Software—which are integrated towards the end of build season. After members have gained experience from FTC, they are hand picked by mentors to move to the FRC team for the next season, where they will continue to be members of until the end of their high school careers. Currently, the FRC team has about 30 members to allow everyone the opportunity to learn and contribute to the robot.
The FRC team further teaches students certain skills that are fundamental in robotics. The 4 technical subteams collaborate with each other regularly during the season. The non-technical division, Business and Marketing, is responsible for the team’s finances, outreach efforts, and team imagery. This team structure allows students to specialize in a certain subteam, while also giving them the flexibility to participate in different types of projects.
Team Structure
Mechanical Design Subteam
The Mechanical Design subteam is responsible for designing the robot and supervising production in the Mechanical Manufacturing subteam during the build season. Students learn to use CAD (Computer-Aided Design) to create an accurate 3D model of the robot.
Manufacturing Subteam
The Mechanical Manufacturing subteam produces parts for the robot and assembles the working base of the robot before it is passed onto both the Electrical and Software subteams. Students learn to use power tools such as drills, band saws, chop saws, pneumatic-powered, and a CNC router.
Integration Subteam
The Integration subteam ensures team-wide unity. This includes making sure that every subteam is given a voice on the mechanisms of the robot, and that information about mechanisms are accessible at all times.
Software Subteam
The Software subteam drafts and writes code for the robot and delivers reliable controls for driver testing and competition. Students learn to about clean coding practices, autonomous driving, computer vision, and robot mechanism controls.
