Archives: 2008
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[ Read About Our Awards and Recognition ]
In its fourth season of existence, Gatorbotics faced another challenge this year as
the team consisted almost
wholly of sophomores and freshmen, all the senior members having graduated
the year before. We therefore had to quickly learn to lead, organize, and run
the organization despite our relative inexperience. The team rose to the occasion
and produced Benji, a speedy robot that racked up points by racing around the
field and even employed a few new technologies such as mecanum wheels.
We continued to work with our mentors at IDEO, Tesla, and Stanford. Additionally, the team honed its skills
over the course of the season and through "Camp Gatorbotics," a week-long intensive programming,
engineering, and technology program we designed to continue to build our skills during the off season.
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The 2008 challenge was entitled FIRST Overdrive, and required robots to race
around a track while manipulating large trackballs (1 meter in diameter) over
and under overpasses to earn points.
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Having gained an extraordinary amount of technical and leadership expertise
during the season, the team performed very well at the two regional competitions
it attended, the Silicon Valley Regional and the Pacific Northwest Regional. The
team also continued to reach out to younger students through its existing LEGO
Robotics program at local elementary schools and by expanding the program to work
with Castilleja's own middle school FIRST Lego League team.
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