Members of Copper Country Robotics (CCR) had to think and act fast, as the scenario and specifications for this year's FIRST Robotics Competition were revealed on Jan. 4 and the countdown began.
Robotics teams at high schools and colleges around the world tuned in to the 2025 FIRST Robotics Competition kickoff announcement via a global telecast. More than 20 CCR members returned to Tech's snow-laden campus two days before the University's spring 2025 semester began to watch the challenge reveal.
CCR team members worked collaboratively around the clock in order to complete their prototype in three days in Michigan Tech's Alley Makerspace.
The FIRST Robotics Competition challenges high school robotics teams to design, build and test a robot for strategic gameplay in six weeks, advancing to compete with other teams later this year. College students get three days to accomplish the same task — a prospect that CCR members, most of whom are FIRST alumni, seemed to relish.
At Michigan Tech, the Huskies working on the robot were there for the love of it. "I was involved with FIRST for over seven years," said first-year mechanical engineering student Brenda Silva, who helped build the robot's Michigan Tech-branded bumpers. "Robotics is something that I really enjoy doing."
For Lindsay Stone, robotics is a family affair. "My siblings and I were involved in robotics growing up. They did it, and then I was the little sister who thought, 'Well they did it, so I'm going to do it, too.' My parents still do participate as well, and it's something we can all talk about and engage with," said the first-year electrical engineering student.
"It's a lot of work, but it's fun," said Stone. "We get to play with robots again."
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