Deus Ex Machina: FIRST Robotics Team 5171

We are Deus Ex Machina, York School’s Robotics Team. Our team participates in the annual FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition, known in short as “FRC”, which fosters educational growth through hands-on learning and collaboration.

In 2014, a group of York students founded Deus Ex Machina, the school’s first FRC team. Our team won a “Rookie All-Star” award and advanced to the international championship in St. Louis, Missouri. Competing against and observing the world’s best FRC teams, we were inspired to build a sustainable team despite the fact that most of the founders graduated. With only two returning members and 13 new students ranging from sophomores to seniors, 2015 was akin to a second rookie year for York. Participation from all grade levels was pivotal to the continued growth of our team as well as the intellectual and cooperative development of York’s student body.

When our 2016 season came around, our team
was composed of about half returning students and all grades levels. At our Silicon Valley Regional, we finished 34th out of 64 teams. Considering that our region encompasses some of the top teams in the nation, we were very proud to finish in the middle of the pack. We recently competed in the October Cal Games in Sunnyvale, a competition using the same challenge as in the spring, hosted by Western Region Robotics.

Currently, we are preparing for the 2017 season with 10 experienced returning students. With assistance from three engaged and helpful mentors, we will be providing 30 team members the opportunity to participate in a multidisciplinary effort that goes well beyond the building of a robot. Consisting of numerous subgroups— fundraising, logistics, graphic design, mechanical design, and programming—the team not only constructs a working robot, but also gains invaluable real-world skills. In addition to participating in a competition, we are learning to collaborate— perhaps the most important skill gained throughout the course of the entire season—and work closely with other clubs in our region to advance our individual teams and the growth of FIRST.