Groups of students from different schools sit together around their robots, the product of hours of work and planning. One by one, they test their creations’ skill in speed and accuracy, competing for the highest score. While this may have been a reality for past Parker robotics teams, due to several changes throughout the way that extracurriculars function, the specifics of this competition are unclear for the time being. Despite this, the Upper School robotics team is still continuing forward with their season.

The contrast between the Middle School robotics program and that of the Upper School is evident to many participants. “In lower and middle school, we just did LEGO robotics, building robots out of different LEGO parts. In high school we use actual materials, metal and circuitry,” sophomore Jack Kahan said. “None of us really had any idea what we were doing and the difference was jarring. We were on our own. We had to figure things out by ourselves.” 

The Upper School robotics program at Parker is divided into two different teams, Team 9410 for incoming freshmen and other high schoolers who are new to robotics, and Team 3507 for returning members. 

In a typical robotics meeting, students would come in and get to work on whatever project they were building at the moment. “There wasn’t a lot of talking or debriefing,” Kahan said. “It’s very hands on. It’s hard to imagine how it would look virtually.”  

“Meetings are generally unstructured,” Star Rothkopf, a junior who runs the Twitter account for the team (@fwprobotics) as well as helping to design and build the robots, said. “We have a lot to get done and plenty of things are one-person jobs, so everyone mostly has their own agenda and we stay organized with checklists and communication.” 

“Everyone has a different role,” sophomore Drew Klauber said. “We have Builders who assemble the printed parts, Drivers who drive and operate the robot, and Coders who are responsible for creating the code to run the robot.” Klauber designs parts for the robots using computer-aided design programs such as Autodesk’s Fusion360.

Robotics is operating during the 2020-2021 school year through a hybrid schedule, partly virtual and partly in person. “Virtual meetings have felt completely different,” Rothkopf said. “We log on and we come up with ideas, go into breakout rooms to discuss them, and come back to share.” 

“In the virtual meeting we split off into meeting rooms of six and we do think tanks for different missions,” Klauber said. “We’re in the phase where everyone is coming up with ideas for different challenges.”

The hybrid schedule that Robotics uses is unlike the completely virtual schedule of other Parker clubs. “You can’t really do Robotics virtually,” Kahan said. “You need to be there to build and practice with the robot.  It’s possible to stay distanced, too, with masks and gloves, and nobody needs to get within six feet of each other.” However, the hybrid schedule is for practices only, as competitions will be held virtually. “I don’t think there’s any way for those to work,” Kahan said. “Maybe once there’s a vaccine – in the second semester? – but not for now.”

The new way that the club functions has affected the morale of the team in different ways. “Honestly, I’m feeling a lot less excited about robotics this year,” Rothkopf said. “There’s no fun workshop environment, and it’s been a lot harder for me to get inspired and motivated.” 

Others feel differently and are maintaining an optimistic attitude towards the club. “Robotics should be interesting this semester,” Klauber said. “I do think not being able to be in person is going to negatively impact our performance.”

Kahan was a bit apprehensive as well, finding it hard to picture the interactive club and workshop partly online. “But I’m mostly excited about the upcoming season,” Kahan said. “I’m hopeful that we can figure it out and continue to have some in-person meetings.”