By Michelle ’31
When I first joined the Harvard-Westlake robotics program, I was intimidated and didn’t really know where to start. In fact, I thought I’d feel lost for weeks. However, after I got the hang of things, I started to see the fun, awesome side of robotics here.
Here are the top ten tips to excel at Harvard Westlake’s robotics program:
- Keep an open mind and listen to your teammates, many of whom have been doing robotics for a while!
- Don’t be shy to share your own thoughts about the design.
- Be prepared to get out of your comfort zone and try new things.
- Safety first!
- Listen to coaches—they give aura advice
- Plan out all of the measurements or designs before executing (I learned this the hard way).
- Make sure everyone on the team has a job to do, so no one is sitting around bored or feeling left out.
- Weigh the pros and cons of every robot design carefully, and look at winning robots from other competitions, and then choose a design (best practices).
- Test every part of your robot before moving on.
- Have fun.
The first three tips are simple: keep an open mind, don’t be shy, and be prepared to step out of your comfort zone. Listening to others’ ideas is your opportunity to learn and build better bots. That doesn’t mean you should be shy, however, as it’s equally important to share your thoughts because you might be that person with the better idea. Also, be prepared to step out of your comfort zone. There may be some tools you don’t know how to use, some concepts you don’t understand, or many unfamiliar pieces you’ve never even heard of! Don’t worry, if you start familiarizing yourself with all the tools, techniques, and parts, eventually it’ll all fall into place.
The next four things are just as important: stay safe, listen to your coaches, pre plan, and make sure everyone is involved. There are pieces of equipment that might harm you or others if they are used incorrectly, but potential danger can all be avoided if you just stay careful and listen to what the adults tell you. Furthermore, preplanning is important because if you don’t, it can lead to a lot of taking apart and putting back together. You can avoid wasting a ton of time if you just make sure everything you build is the right size, the right design, and fits into whatever parameters you’re operating in. Next, make sure everyone is involved. If you leave out just one person, that’s one less pair of hands working on your robot, and one less set of great ideas that can contribute to the overall design.
Rules eight and nine are simple and discuss more actual robot building. First, make sure you know the pros and cons of every robot design. If your design doesn’t align with the goals of your robot, this is your sign to stop and rethink before it is too late. Be thorough here, as not being so can really make or break the project. Double and even triple checking ensures a design that not only looks cool, but is functional as well!
Finally, have fun! Robotics is awesome. You’re likely to meet some amazing friends, have a ton of laughs when putting your bot together, and feel the satisfaction that comes with using your imagination to create something new.
So, if having a good time with your friends while using your mind sounds fun, then robotics may be the program for you.
