Robotics
A 3rd Grade Hobby...
I was sitting in my 3rd grade computer lab, learning about technology and all of its amazing uses.
It was then that I was inspired to pursue technology.
I was at the age where toy robots were fairly basic, but regardless, I loved them.
However, I never felt satisfied with what I had, I felt like it could be better.
It was then that I discovered the magic of programmable robots.
The Micro:Bit was simply amazing, a 5x5 LED matrix, sensors, and microcontroller all packaged into one!
With its pins, you could simply slot it into a robotics kit, allowing for even more sensors, lights, and motors.
Using that "toy", I was able to learn about the basic of programming a robot and microcontroller.
It even enabled me to move up from block-based programming to text-based programming.
But even this wasn't enough, I needed more.
To Competitive Robotics
FLL or FIRST Lego League is a robotics competition based off of Lego and EV3 robots.
The primary focus of the FIRST foundation is to expose the new generation to STEM and healthy collaboration with teammates.
After spending an year in an FLL team, I had learned how to manage a team, build a robot with Lego, program EV3 bricks, and so much more.
Then I moved on to FTC or FIRST Tech Challenge.
FTC is the same as FLL, except you get a much larger field, more complex tasks, and you have the ability to make a robot from scratch.
I joined team 18061, Simply Complex in the PowerPlay season. We built a fairly off-the-shelf robot, but it was great for learning.
I learned how to program in Java, the basics of a real robot, and got a chance to use computer vision technologies such as OpenCV.
The following year was the CenterStage Season where I took the role of programming lead.
That year, we built a fully custom robot, used advanced technologies such as PID, and further honed our robotics skills.