Personal Narrative: My First Robotics

My heart was pounding and my hands were sweaty. I couldn’t tell if I was nervous or excited. I watched breathlessly as my team-mates were in the field setting up the robot. Switching it on, precisely positioning it, and checking all the motor-controlling wires. Everything had to be done perfectly and properly otherwise the robot would be completely incapable when the match started. Finally, they fled the field and the buzzer rang indicating the start of the first practice match. The robot took off flawlessly, driving itself through the fifteen second autonomous This was only a practice match at UC Davis’s Sacramento Regional in the FIRST Robotics program, but that moment marked the culmination of six weeks of hard work. About a little over

a month earlier, we only had some vague, broken ideas, some rough drawings and a looming deadline. Regardless of all the struggles and problems we had to tackle, having an amazing product that works is one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had.
Being involved in the robotics program over the last four years has been one of the biggest influences in my life and the decisions I make concerning my future.

When I first started robotics, I did not fully understand what an engineer was, and I had some cloudy vision of becoming a police detective in the distant future. However, the more involved I became in the robotics program, the more interested I grew in the whole concept. Being presented with a problem and limitations, such as time constraints, budget constraints, and size and weight constraints, and then have to come up with a feasible design that fits the limitations is an amazing learning experience. However, the process did not end at coming up with a design; in fact, that was just the beginning of a very long road. After the initial design was decided on, us designers spent hours coming up with CAD (computer aided design) mockups, dimensioning every single plane and meticulously going over every centimeter of the virtual version of our robot. With a solid vision in place, construction began and as we learned more about the problem and our own limitations, we were forced to perform small alterations to our design; making it dynamic to fit the ever changing

requirements.
Throughout this entire process, we were not only rushed to complete our robot in the allotted six-week time period, we also had to learn to work together. There were many distinct tasks that needed to be completed, from rebuilding the drive train to writing essays and filling out applications for various awards and organizing fundraisers and community awareness events. Our team was required to raise a large part of the money we needed and to convince sponsors to support us. We were also charged with the task of getting younger students involved in the program in order to ensure its survival for years to come. More than once was the program threatened with budget cuts and low membership, but through a team effort to become a part of the community, the robotics program survived. The final clincher in my decision to become an engineer was the competition. The competition was an exhilarating experience; I found myself among hundreds of students the same age as me with the same interest in finding out how things work and how to create. As I worked with other teams and students from all over the world, I finally realized what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. The years I spent involved in the robotics program were, without a doubt, some of the most influential experiences in my life. Robotics taught me what it means to be an engineer and awakened my own desire to become one. Not only did I learn how things work and how challenging it is to design a machine, but I also learned about public relations and working within the set limitations. The robotics program not only awakened in me a passion and love for engineering, but also created many memories upon which I will fondly reflect for many years to come.