The FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) tasks robotics competitors to build robots and develop strategies based on both established and innovative engineering principles. The Delbarton Robotics program, (aka “Delbotics”), returned to the competitive arena on Saturday, March 4th at the FTC Upper Central League Tournament Meet and qualified for the NJ State Championship after a decade-long hiatus.
Delbotics was originally named the “Mechanical Wave” in 2007. After over a decade of minimal involvement in FTC competitions, team #755 transformed, revived, and rebranded as “Delbotics” in 2019. This season marks Delbotics’ third active year and the team is thriving with the addition of a much larger team full of aspiring and dedicated members. More information can be found on the Delbotics Team Portfolio.
Delbotics has compiled an impressive record of 18-2-0 and is currently ranked #3 in the state for the 2023-2024 season. The team has held meets every week from Monday through Friday since October, with over 3,000 hours of work from the club’s fewer than ten members.
Even though the team has enjoyed an extremely successful season, they still dealt with many hardships ranging from loose screws to electrostatic discharge. They have persevered and overcame any challenge that was in their way to get to where they are now. The robot has been ever-changing and evolving and has gone through many iterations with exponential tweaks and minor improvements, slowly creating the “perfect machine”.
In the tournament, Delbotics showed their prowess and went undefeated in their qualification matches and were 1st place overall. Despite finishing as the runner-up due to an unfortunate penalty, the team achieved notable scores, including the 6th-ever highest score in New Jersey during a match in the semi-finals.
After the team’s recent successful performances, Delbotics has full confidence that they will continue to strive and exceed and surpass all expectations, while also further improving the robot. Qualifying for the State Championships marks a significant breakthrough for not just the Delbarton Robotics team, but the Delbarton community as a whole.
The team can’t wait for March 17th at Hillsborough High School, the day of the NJ State Championship; they aspire to win it all and head to Houston, Texas for the World Championship.
By showcasing their achievements, challenges, and aspirations, Delbotics’ performance in the FIRST Tech Challenge underlines their astounding commitment to achieve excellence and innovation in robotics. Delbotics secured many various Awards that include the Control Award, Finalist Alliance, Audacious Autonomous, Highest Match Score by an Alliance, Winning Alliance Captain, Air Superiority.
