By Daniel O’Mara, Contributor
Nestled in the back corner of a warehouse complex off of Route 206, a group of Hillsborough teens were hard at work last weekend. With busy hands and deft eyes checking computer code and constructing metal bodies, they toiled not just on their robots, but something less tangible as well., Hillsborough High School’s Team 75, also known as the RoboRaiders, were looking to buck the stereotype of what it means to be a robotics team., Last Saturday, the Team 75 Roboraiders held an open house to show off their warehouse facility, where they take robot concepts from scrap metal and motherboards to competition-ready machines. It’s in this space that 67 students of varying grade levels formed 10 different departments, operating more like an engineering company than an extracurricular high school team., With an operation as large as the RoboRaiders, budgeting money has been just as important to the group for ensuring both short-term and long-term success. The group has its own dedicated finance department, which handles funds received from Hillsborough High School, the Hillsborough Township School District and student dues. Other money is obtained through their primary sponsorship with Johnson and Johnson, grants and team fundraisers., All told, the team budget for this year could max out at around $103,000., “Running a team this size with your own warehouse can get pretty expensive,” HHS junior and Finance Manager Samuel Hoffman said., With proper budgeting and money management necessary to green light the construction of a robot out of the way, the RoboRaiders turn their attention to how their machine can efficiently defeat the competition., To do so requires understanding the rules and parameters of the game set by the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) robotics organization., For example, one way a team can score points is by having their robot place large wooden gears onto metal pegs at the base of a tower known as an “airship.”, “Using numbers, spreadsheets and formulas we decide how we can score the most amount of points in the least amount of time,” Strategy Department Manager Smruti Rajpara said., Like any good team, a vigilant scouting department pours over data and video collected from past matches to strategize how to build the best robot possible. Using an analytics app called FRC Scouter, the strategy department projects match-ups and predicts outcomes during the season., Once a thorough list of priorities is created by the strategy department, the design team begins to bring the robot to life. Using everything from paper and pencil to sensitive computer programs, the design department models the robot, and can identify which pieces could cause problems. Before any screw is turned or any corners are soldered, the design department must approve and order all the necessary fabrications., “It takes two weeks to do all of this,” Design Manager Dimitri Duma said. “It’s tough because design does all the work from home so it’s kind of a 24 hour cycle for us.”, The mechanical department, the largest subteam for the RoboRaiders, then takes the baton and assembles the pieces. Meanwhile, the electrical department retrofits the robot with necessary equipment, and works alongside the programming department to ensure the robot is accomplishing its tasks., Building robots that can toss objects and climb ropes is not the only function of the RoboRaiders. They are also active in the community through a number of outreach programs, such as the FIRST Lego League, which encourages middle school students to become involved in engineering and robotics., Additionally, the WISE program, short for Women In Science and Engineering, is considered one of Team 75’s biggest initiatives. Created in 2006, the program aims to inspire women to become interested in science, technology, engineering and math., “So far we’ve reached 2,000 young women,” Diana Voronin said. “But we’ve also collaborated with Johnson and Johnson whose goal is to reach two million young women by 2020.”, Among the other community outreach programs, Team 75 has participated in bike building events for underprivileged children, and they have assembled care package for soldiers serving overseas., The RoboRaiders are scheduled to compete in the District Competition at Montgomery High School on April 1.
