Our FRC team 6800's first match at the 2022 Worlds Competition

OUR ROBOTICS PROGRAM

Our program began in 2010 with ten kids as an after school club. Now we typically have about 140 students across 11 teams.  

Our teams build robots to compete in a national league, FIRST.

An example our FRC team 6800 VALOR on a FRC field

Our program currently competes in two levels of FIRST Robotics:

FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC®) - 1 team of 40 students

FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC®) - 10 teams of about 10 students

for a total of 11 teams at Vandegrift High School.

THE ROBOT GAME

In both levels, the teams compete head to head by designing, building, and programming a robot to compete in an alliance format against other teams.  The robots perform tasks such as scoring balls into goals, stacking objects, hanging on bars, and balancing robots on a tilting platform.

THE ROBOT GAME STRUCTURE:

Both the FTC and the FRC robot games have three periods:

• An autonomous period where the robot performs tasks on its own, 

• A teleop period where the robot is driven and operated by the students, 

• An endgame period that involves more difficult, higher scoring period tasks.  

The game, the field, and the required set of tasks changes annually. 

The teams may build from a kit of standard set of parts or may buy or fabricate their own specialized parts.

WHAT VIPERBOTS STUDENTS LEARN

In our program, students learn how to use power tools, CNC routers, 3D printers, and a powder coating machine.  

Our computer lab allows our students to code in C++ and Java, as well as design custom parts in OnShape. 

An example of our team 6210 STRYKE on an FTC field

 THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FTC and FRC:

There are some key differences in the two levels:

• Size of the field

• Size of the game elements

• Size of the robot

• The number of robots competing on the field

• The number of students on the teams

• The grade levels that are allowed to compete

• The key overall focus for the students in the program

Those differences are outlined in our FRC vs FTC page.

We depend on our sponsors to keep the program running - thanks for your support!

SPONSOR OUR PROGRAM

Our robotics program is very much like a student internship program in the engineering and technology field.  Our students learn engineering, programming, design, and business skills through building robots as a team.  

A team member operating a metal lathe.

WHAT WE NEED TO RUN OUR PROGRAM

This requires a lot of resources - parts, tools, equipment, computers, software, and the means to travel to tournaments. 

INVESTING IN OUR STUDENTS IS INVESTING IN YOUR FUTURE

Sponsoring our robotics teams leads your organization to a direct pipeline of quality candidates with a vested interest in your success. Investing in Viperbots Robotics produces students that are already viable STEM industry candidates and entry level employees.  By sponsoring our team, not only are you producing top level future engineers, programmers, CAD designers, and STEM business employees, you are allowing them to learn about and connect with your organization before they even attend college.