What Are We Working On?

In addition to working on our bots and programming, some of our team members have been learning how to use Creo, a digital modeling program, by watching YouTube tutorials.  One of our goals with the program is to design a part that both of our teams can use on their robot and get it 3-D printed.

Team members working on Creo

After completely stripping their robot of wiring two meetings ago, team 452, PHI Alpha, was struggling to finish their robot so the software people could start programming.  

PHI Alpha team members wiring their robot

As for PHI Omega, currently we are building shielding for our robot, programming, and adding other finishing touches.

PHI Omega team members work on programming using a dummy bot.

Kickoff Meeting

We began the new robotics season last month with a kickoff meeting/potluck.  We demolished old prototypes, sorted parts, set up the foam field tiles, watched the game video, and discussed strategies for building this year's robots.  All said, we're excited for the new season!

New facebook Page!

Phi robotics is now updating the status of the team through a Facebook page! Don't freak out,  you can still view Phi's progress at  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Phi-Robotics/184663908224113. this is where you can go in order to get the latest information about Phi Robotics. We will still write on the blog, but our latest, most consistent source of  information will be our Facebook page.

Summer Robotics Workshop

Have you successfully protected an eggstronaut from a painful Mars landing, using only straws and tape?  Do you know how to properly use an atlatl?  Can you build a successful robot out of limited materials in only five afternoons?

If so, you must have attended last year's Summer Robotics Workshop.  Along with other local FIRST teams, we host this workshop every year.  For us, it's a way to reach out to the community to promote science, technology, engineering, and math; for students who attend, it's a week of fun and a great introduction to robotics.

The first five days of the workshop are packed with fun activities (which just happen to be educational) and hands-on robot building.  Students are divided into teams of six and must collaboratively build a robot to complete a challenge; on Saturday, their designs are tested in an action-packed competition similar to those PHI competes in.

This year, the workshop runs June 24-29, and if you're a student entering fifth through ninth grade, you won't want to miss it.  Only sixty spots are available, so sign up now!

For more information or to register, visit https://sites.google.com/site/summerroboticsworkshop/home.

What are we doing now?

     Now that our season is over, neither team made it to Worlds. We now had the tough decision of what to do with the rest of our year. We have decided to continue meeting to train newer members in software, and to work on new designs to prepare for the next season's competitions. We are also preparing for our outreach season. We will be in the Antelope Valley Poppy Festival on April 21-22. We will also be at a week long Vex workshop this summer along with several other local teams. This workshop is to teach junior highers about robotics, and allow them to build their own robots. They will also be able to compete in a special challenge, just like a FTC competition, only on a smaller scale.

Compass Award

Here is PHI's FTC Compass Award submission for the 2012-13 season. We nominated the Stinson family (Jon, Kathy, and Dylan) for their generous support over the past 5+ years. Thank you, Stinsons!

Robot Photos

Here are a few of our latest robot photos, taken at competitions.


PHI members work on Murphy in the pit area.


Shelob prepares to score in a match.


Shelob scores on the top peg.


Murphy scores on the top peg.


Shelob in a match.