Code Red Robotics, IHS’s robotics team of 56 students, officially finished and bagged its robot on February 23—the date on which all FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) teams in the high school division must complete their robots. After that date, the robots cannot be touched until competition. Code Red competed at two regional competitions: in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 17–19 and in Rochester, NY, on March 24–26.
This year, the team is preparing for a game known as FIRST Stronghold. Points in the game can be scored in several ways. Basketball-sized foam balls can be shot through either high or low goals at either end of the field. Between the sides are any six of eight defenses, which could be anything from a five-pound portcullis to three small teeter-toters side by side to swinging gates. The defenses must be traversed by the robots, which scores the team additional points, before the robots shoot on the goals. At the end of the match, robots must also be able to raise themselves off the ground by attaching to a bar, which is positioned at just over six feet high. All of these details are just a taste of the complexity of this year’s medieval-themed game.
Code Red Robotics’ robot this season, The Predator, weighs just over 107 pounds and was built over the course of six weeks. The Code Red build season ran for over 30 hours each week in IHS’s technology wing. The Predator has the ability to shoot into low goals, bridge all eight presentable defenses, drive under a 14-inch bar, pull itself several feet in the air after attaching to a high bar, and help other robots move across the complex playing field. Although the robot will be retired at the end of this season, a whole new monster will be created soon. Code Red accepts any members of any talent group.
During its first competition in Cleveland, Code Red competed against 58 teams. The team didn’t make it to quarter-finals, but the Predator managed to cross all eight defenses and competed very well.
The team left for their second competition on March 24 in high spirits.