Find Your Place on BEAST!
To build the robot, we must thoroughly understand the game, then prototype a robot and once we’ve decided on a design, students develop the parts in CAD – a sophisticated design software.
These designs are then used as digital inputs for machines in our shop to custom machine parts to fabricate our robot. Additionally, the team must write the code to program the robot for both autonomous and teleoperated portions of the game. The code controls many motors, pneumatics, and the drivetrain.
Our team also develops a mobile app used for scouting at competition; the data collected in the app is fed into business intelligence dashboards to calculate predictions before upcoming matches and influence our team’s strategy per match. The business portion of our team also creates marketing materials including email campaigns and edits photos and videos.
There’s a place for everyone on BEAST Robotics – learn about our sub-teams below.
Programming
Learn how to create the code that powers the robots each season. Although these members don’t construct the physical components of the robot, they play one of the team’s most vital roles: controlling the how the robot moves. Our code is written in Java, a coding language you will become familiar with if you join the programming team. Both those with coding experience as well as those who are willing to learn are encouraged to join!
Scouting and Anayltics
Learn to code apps, design user experiences, and collect/interpret data. Each year, the scouting team performs research and data collection that is essential to our team’s success at competitions. The skills involved in scouting team are highly applicable to countless programming pursuits. Scouting team welcomes all students interested regardless of experience and encourages an engaging learning environment.
Business (Awards and Grants)
Learn how to approach businesses for sponsorships, write award and grant submissions, make an impact on the community, and sell the ‘product’ we create in FIRST. This sub-team controls BEAST’s funding for parts, equipment, transportation, and planning of future events. Although the business team usually doesn’t interact directly with the robots, it assists the team in the aspects of communication, outreach, and marketing. All interested students are welcome!
Mechanical
Learn to design, prototype, and build a robot! The mechanical team mainly works on creating prototype designs and functions that are considered for the final design of the robot. Mechanical team jobs include tool work as well as design sketches and CAD modelling. Members of this team are very important in the initial steps of planning, especially after the kickoff. All who are interested in building and planning designs are welcome!
Controls
Learn how to wire, fix, and strip the control components of the robot. The controls team focuses on the electrical and energy sources of the robot itself. These sources are essential for the power of the robot – it can’t move without them! The controls team welcomes incoming members of all skill levels; experienced mentors can help guide the way.
Field Construction
Learn to design, manufacture, and assemble replica field elements. The Field Team builds practice field pieces based on the year’s challenge. It is essential to the practice and robot testing work we do in preparation for competition. If you have a passion for woodworking, design, or physical construction, Field Team is the place for you!