1.⁠ ⁠What was your biggest challenge this season?

Our season is very short—we have less than eight weeks to design, build, and code our robot before competing at our qualifying regional event, hoping to advance to Nationals. We overcome this challenge by attending up to three three-hour training sessions each week. Additionally, we collaborate online via our team Discord and complete much of the CAD design at home before training, ensuring that our parts are ready when we arrive at our facility.

2.⁠ ⁠What inspired your robot’s design?

We like to think outside the box. This year, we challenged ourselves to design a very small and lightweight transfer claw while simultaneously developing a high-speed active intake capable of handling both samples and specimens. We were inspired by the 2019 Gluten Free SkyStone robot.

3.⁠ ⁠Tell us about the most significant event that you organized or participated in.

Our team organized and facilitated a 24-team FLL qualifying event in Brisbane.

4.⁠ ⁠What was the first season of FTC in which you took part?

Our team has been competing in FTC since SkyStone (2019). Our FLL team was inspired after watching Rover Ruckus.

5.⁠ ⁠What did you learn from your competition experiences?

We have learned many things from our competition experiences, but the most important lesson is resilience.

6.⁠ ⁠How do you manage team activities alongside your studies?

Our team consists of members of various ages. This allows older students to focus on their studies while younger members handle a significant portion of the work. As a community team, we prioritize academics at home and school before shifting into FTC mode during training. We treat training sessions as a reward for working hard on our studies.

7.⁠ ⁠Do you have an interesting or memorable story from your team’s journey?

The speed at which our team members can run when we realize we’ve forgotten something at our pit area—just before a match!

8.⁠ ⁠What prizes have you won for the work that you’ve put in?

Since 2019, we have received multiple awards at both regional events and the Australian Nationals, including:

Think Award
Inspire Award (1st & 3rd Place)
Connect Award
Design Award
Winning Alliance Captain
Finalist Alliance Captain

We are most proud of receiving Inspire 1st Place at the 2024 Australian Nationals.