By Kaito ’24
Being a part of the robotics team at Harvard-Westlake has been a life changing experience for me, and as such, it has become a massive influence in my life. I have met some of my closest friends at Harvard-Westlake through the team, and I have loved working with them throughout my time here. The process of designing, building, and programming a robot and the lessons that I have learned from it has been invaluable to me.
I have learned so much from the people around me about principles of design and engineering, techniques in building, how to utilize tools for programming and designing, and especially the pattern of thinking that one hones and uses to make their way through the entire process of creating their robot.
When creating your robot, you have virtually any tool or part that you could need at your disposal, so as to put as few limitations on creativity as possible. I have wanted to pursue the field of engineering since I was in elementary school, and it has been amazing to experience a small taste of what it is like. The environment at the robotics lab is always extremely amiable and collaborative, with everyone willing to help you and pitch in with some of their own thoughts and insights. That is one of the best parts about this program, in my opinion: there is something new to be learned everyday, at every step of the way.
Of course, I could not write about the robotics program without writing about the competitions as well. The competitions are the events where you and your team get to witness the fruits of your labor in action. The HW Robotics Team competes in VEX competitions. At every competition, there are around forty other teams, all with robots that they created, and this is one of the best places to find inspiration and make connections with other teams. When your team competes, you compete with an alliance against two other teams, and it is always such a rewarding experience to be there with your team in that moment. The atmosphere created by these competitions gives such an exhilaration that almost feels unreal. It is very inspiring to see all the like minded individuals who share the same passion for engineering as I do.
Being on the Harvard-Westlake robotics team has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life, and I hope that others coming to this school can become inspired by the endless possibilities of this field, just as I have been.
Want to be part of a team? Even if you don’t know anyone that you can team up with at first (I didn’t know anyone either), you’ll be put with a few other peers that will quickly become some of your closest friends. Just stop by the robotics room (Chalmers 308), and talk to our coach, Mr. Theiss. You don’t need to worry about experience either. The robotics program has multiple seasoned veterans that can offer all the resources and help you would need to get started such as sample designs, complete with their 3D modeled structures. All you need going into robotics is a desire to create and a willingness to learn.
