Boost Robotics

How We Started

We were deeply involved in community outreach for robotics during the period between 2017-2019. However, much to our disappointment, during the 2020-2021 season, all in-person programs had to be cancelled. During shelter-in-place, we came across a few teams that were struggling to get their first robot for the season going, which was compounded by lack of assistance due to the pandemic. A few teachers across the Bay Area subsequently reached out to us to look for guidance for their students on how to build a competition robot that would be successful in that year's season.

Our First Two Seasons

Since virtual coaching was the only option, despite being very skeptical, we decided to give it a try. Weekly presentations and videos were created to target a particular subsystem each week, including the overall mounting together of the various systems. Coaching sessions were offered for troubleshooting and competition guidance. During the first season, five teams from Winters High School and one team from Holy Names High School were mentored. All six teams were able to get a robot ready and perform competitively in a tournament in June '21. Our outreach expanded to 64 teams in our second year and over 200 students, with many teams achieving great success despite it being their rookie season.

Our Model

For the 2022-23 season "Spin Up", we are offering both virtual and in-person classes. The virtual classes will follow the same model as last year's highly successful program. Classes will be tailored to the pace of the individual teams participating in the program. Every week, a meeting will be held either virtually or in-person where new material will be presented to the students. This will include thorough presentations, pictures, and videos to assist with the building and programming. During the week following that meeting, the students will work to complete building that part of the robot, and be ready to receive the next week's material. Each meeting will begin with a Q&A, followed by a status update by the students on their progress thus far. Once a basic functional competition robot has been built, advanced sessions will be offered to guide students on possibilities to improve the capabilities of the robot through the use of sensors and other additional more advanced techniques. The initial build is to enable teams to venture into competitions, but our ultimate goal is to ignite the passion for robotics so that they use the tools they have acquired to build and expand on their own.

Interested?

If you are interested in online sessions being offered for Over Under, please fill out the form below. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at boostrobotics@gmail.com.