NEW CIRCUIT TRAINING. Pictured are Leviathans team members, Lee Hue and Jacob, attaching the belly pan to the base of the robot. (Submitted Photos)

Make way for the mighty Leviathans, the Pablo Center’s FIRST Robotics Team! FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), founded in 1992 by Dean Kamen, is dedicated to inspiring young people in the science and technology fields. Their global Robotics Competition is one such way they encourage invention and teamwork. 

This isn’t a gladiator battle between two robots with flamethrowers. Robots created from individual teams ally together in groups of three to compete against the opposing group. The objective of each match is to collect cones and cubes, which increase a team’s point system. Obstacles and rules abound to make the competition interesting and at the timer’s end, the allied group with the most points wins that round. It is a competition that promotes teamwork and problem-solving using robots.

Driver skill testing night for those interested in driving the robot during the competition. Aiden discussing the process with the students before starting. (Left to right: Dominic, Carson, Lee Hue, and Aiden, a mentor.)

“(The team) gives students in the area an opportunity to get together with others with similar interests to have fun building a robot,” said Mary LaVenture, Pablo Center’s STEAM programs manager. “The soft skills of working as a team, being articulate with each other, listening and discussing elements, and overcoming complications and setbacks help prepare them for whatever journey they take through life.”

This 2023 season, Pablo Center’s robotics team, Leviathans, will be entering its second year. They have been hard at work the past few months with designing the robot using CAD software for 3D design, programming its function such as driving, main mechanisms, and gyro sensors through JavaScript, and creating a strategy for the best plan and execution in the matches.

“We, of course, want to create a good robot and have a good time, but both the mentors and students learn a lot of new skills during a season each year,” said Aiden Beauchene, a Leviathans robotics mentor. “What we discover is more important than what we win.”

Leviathans’ first competition begins March 1 in Duluth, Minnesota. We wish them all the luck in a friendly and scientifically-rigorous competition. Anyone in high school with an interest in technology or robots is welcome to join the fun!

Caleb and Jacob setting up to run the CNC machine.

To learn more about the Pablo Center’s robotic team, visit facebook.com/FRCteam8744. To learn more about FIRST and their mission and Robotic Competition, visit firstinspires.org/about/vision-and-mission.