When you think of robots, you may think of Wall-E or “Star Wars‘” R2-D2. But have you ever wondered what would happen if real-life robots competed against each other, and who would emerge victorious?
After competing in three competitions held at YULA Boys High School, The Muses, Archer’s robotics team, are in first place in the SoCal First Tech Challenge League. The Muses ranked first after two competitions and maintained their ranking after the third.
This league hosts three competitions for teams to earn points and participate in collaborative challenges. All teams participating in the league start with zero points. First Tech Challenge held the first competition Dec. 7, 2023, and the second one Dec. 13, 2023.
All teams that participated in these three competitions were eligible to advance to an inter-league tournament. If a team scores a sufficient amount of points during the inter-league tournament, they can advance to a regional tournament.
The Muses meet every FLX Block, after school on Mondays and Wednesdays and occasionally on weekends to work on their robot. Co-leader of the team Alejandra Cortes (’24) said after their second competition, the team was glad to see their hard work pay off.
“[The ranking] was shocking, honestly. Not because we didn’t deserve it, but I think it was a testament to how far we’ve come as a team,” Cortes said.
Sophomore Lucy Kaplan joined The Muses in ninth grade and agreed with Cortes the team has worked hard for their ranking.
“Normally, there’s another team that usually does well, but they aren’t here,” Kaplan said. “We’re not the most advanced, but we’re consistent and do not get many fouls or penalties.”
Each competition has five or more rounds. Four teams play in pairs every round and must maneuver their robots within an arena to participate in challenges. Rounds are between five and six minutes long, with breaks in between each round for teams to make adjustments to their robot if necessary.
Director of Engineering and Design Programs Mike Carter is The Muses’s faculty adviser and said during these breaks, the team perseveres to make any adjustments efficiently.
“Our team has rallied to make the robot more robust and to be able to do things on its own, which is nice to have sort of an autonomous, pre-programmed bit that works well,” Carter said.
The Muses’s next competition is predicted to be at Diamond Bar High School, but no final dates have been confirmed. As they have participated in all three rounds, The Muses have advanced to an inter-league tournament.
Carter said the strongest aspect of The Muses is their ability to efficiently divide and manage their work, especially compared to previous years. Carter added that, even though they are in the middle of a season, all students are welcome to join the robotics team, contribute and prepare for next year.
“[Our team] is a really good model and setting up well for the future because we have students who are learning this healthier more collaborative model,” Carter said. “We’ll be carrying that into the future.”
