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It has been eight years since Charter was introduced to the concept of a robotics club and each year the students become increasingly dedicated. In the quiet hum of motors and the ‘click-clack’ of keyboards, the robotics club is continuously working away … at their ‘holiday’ bot! 

Each season the team has a challenge. For winter, the team has one major objective: to construct a radiant robot that can shoot topsy-turvy balls across a field. The challenge the bot has to overcome in order to prove its intelligence is to score the ball underneath the goal. However, to add more difficulty, a solid bar in the middle of the field that deters the bot’s shot.

“It’s the same challenge throughout the season,” said senior Eduardo Steinmann Petrasso. Petrasso has been a member of the high school’s robotics club for four years, although he started as early as eighth grade at West Middle.

Eduardo now works as the team’s programmer and is behind the “autonomous program for the robot” (which are the actions of the robot alone, with no input from the driver). According to the senior, the team is required to reuse parts to rebuild an even better bot fit for the challenge. In addition to that, the robot is also graded on creativity. This season, there has been discussion amongst the club whether the robot will be decked out in holiday attire.

“Right now, we are in the computer aided design (CAD) process for our new robot,” said senior Nikhil Sangamkar when asked about its attire. Sangamkar is the vice president of the club who has worked alongside Petrasso for years. He is unsure of how long exactly it will take to build the robot, however, he knows he and his teammates can get it done just in time for Christmas.  Excitement and determination shines through in his tone and work; confident in the team and their abilities. “We’re going to do a reveal video to show it off!” said Sangamkar.

Sangamkar also noted how successful the robotics team had been in the past, stating how the team played over a hundred matches across the last two years, with a win rate of  “approximately 80 – 85%.” The robotics team has won 17 awards, including two at the state competitions for best programming and best design respectively, 3 regional excellence awards (best overall team), 4 skills champion awards (most points in skills challenges), and one tournament champion award, among others.

Behind the tight competition and the abundant success Charter has been able to snag, the team has to include a very lengthy process to complete designing, coding, building, and revising the bots. “We tend to stay there every day, working for hours,” Eduardo stated. Nikhil confirmed that their bot for the world competition in April was the culmination of over 600 hours of work since December 2022. 

The laboring process of bot-building is challenging, but the fun experiences shared between the teammates justify the effort. “It’s allowed me to make a nice group of friends, so a lot of the time, I will hangout with them outside of the school. We meet at each other’s houses to continue the robots and then play video games,” Petrasso said contently. In a short note about the team and its impact, he added, “You’ll meet a lot of other people who are passionate about S.T.E.M., you’ll form a great community, and a great group.” 

According to Nikhil, the team is off to a great start. The team won ‘Excellence’ at their first competition of this season and they’re hoping to do even better this year. These students continue to work rigorously in order to bring their accomplishments back to campus.