Beta Club Robotics
The beach cleanup robot
The competition scenario simulated environmental cleanup — a robot had to find trash on a beach-like surface, pick it up, and drop it in a bin. Scored on accuracy and speed across multiple autonomous runs. We went through several gripper designs before finding one that held up.
- IR and proximity sensors for object detection
- Custom gripper arm — multiple design iterations
- Fully autonomous during scored runs
- Competed against regional teams
Beta Club Robotics — 4th place, Cardinal Newman
FTC Robotics
Building a program
from scratch
FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge) is a global competition — full robot design, Java programming, and an engineering notebook judged alongside the robot. I started the Cardinal Newman team with no budget, no prior program, and no coach. Recruited teammates, found a faculty advisor, and figured out the rest as we went.
- Wrote Java for both autonomous and driver-controlled modes
- CAD'd mechanical components in Fusion 360
- Handled team logistics — scheduling, meetings, parts sourcing
- Still active — next competition coming up
FTC robot — Cardinal Newman
Fusion 360 — mechanical design
Competition day
Cardinal Newman FTC