Club Corner: Robotics

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“Say Robotics!” A glimpse inside another busy work day for Armijo Robotics.

“Robotics is about learning something new every day— even if it’s on the spot,” said sophomore Nicole Herston. Armijo students, from freshman to seniors, are lured to Robotics clubs by the challenges that it presents.

Multiple Armijo Robotics teams meet weekly to design, test, and create new robots. Every robot is engineered to perform specific tasks and overcome obstacles, many of which are provided by the VEX Robotics organization.

In one of these challenges, students were tasked with creating a robot which could be maneuvered to successfully lift both cubes and stars over a fence strategically. “It sounds easy, but it’s a lot harder than you think,” said Philip Jereza.

“A lot of the challenge is working quickly and efficiently with a group,” said Marc Lejano. While much of the effort is exerted in testing and designing robots, members of Armijo Robotics take the opportunity to learn teamwork skills as well as effective communication.

The skill level of Robotics club members ranges from advanced to simply beginning. Many current Armijo Robotics members began as early as elementary and middle school. The majority of members seek to gain hands on experience in engineering and technology. “Robotics is a gateway to the STEM field and so much more,” said sophomore Nicole Herston.

Not only do members of Robotics have the chance to train their skills, Robotics teams embrace the spirit of competition against local high schools. For those who succeed, victorious teams can take their competition to the “States” and “Worlds” level.

Amidst the whirring sounds of machinery and power tools, the sentiment of excitement is one that flows through every member.

“It’s a super time consuming project,” said Leo Merida, “from development to redesigning and rebuilding, it takes from weeks to months to perfect a robot.” Teams began their development as early in the school year as September while meeting after school and on weekends to design and compete.

Member Shaun Weber said, “Robotics has exposed me to so much.” At their most recent competition, Armijo teams won the tournament at Vanden High School in addition to receiving the coveted Excellence Award, the highest ranking award of the competition. “We completely blew out the competition,” said Zachary Johnson. In addition, Armijo also placed high in the world rankings for Robot Drivers/Programming skill, in which single robots compete against time to score as much as possible.

Last year, members of the Armijo Robotics team competed in partnership with Grange Middle School internationally in Kentucky against teams from China, Mexico, Germany, France, South Africa, and more at VEX Worlds, the final competition of the season. “It was grandiose and we competed in a massive hall and stadium. It was cramped, but we loved every second of being there. We earned our way to it,” said Zachary Johnson, a second time competitor of the event.

The future of Armijo Robotics has never been brighter. With new plans for an improved, expanded workshop, the time for joining this innovative club is more optimal than ever.

If you are interested in joining Armijo Robotics, contact advisor Mr. Smith for more information.