Andover Robotics Club Hosting Competition At AHS On Saturday

ANDOVER, MA — Some of the most intense competition this weekend at Andover High School won't take place on the basketball court or the wrestling mat.

Instead, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday in the school cafeteria, Robostorm 8.2 will feature robotics clubs from around the area presenting their robots to the judges and then using the robots for a game called Powerplay, which involves collecting cones and placing them on various spots around a playing field.

Teams can expect to compete in five to six matches on Saturday. For each match, two teams —alliance partners —are paired together and face off against another duo.

Since the beginning of the school year, AHS students involved in the Andover Robotics Club have been constructing their robots to perform in this season's game — the game changes every year.

The task involves building and coding, while drivers control the robots on the day of the competition.

The Andover club features 70 students who are part of three teams, ARC Lightning, ARC Thunder and ARC Hailstorm, the latter is an all-girls team. Minda Reidy serves as the club's faculty advisor.

Avanthika Suryadevara, a senior and vice president of the Andover Robotics Club, said the members of the Andover teams generally focus on one area of expertise while building the robots.

"You need people to code, build and document everything," Suryadevara told Patch. "That's how our three teams do it, you kind of stick to your strengths. But we're pretty flexible and if you're interested in doing something else, you also can contribute to that

"I know there are some smaller clubs (at other schools), where people tend to have more flexibility (working in several different areas), but we kind of find that it helps to split things up."

Interestingly, the building of robots is only one element of the robotics club. During a team's presentation to judges, in addition to presenting details about the robot's design and the code behind it, teams also are expected to explain how they have helped spread STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education in the community.

Judges later hand out awards in several areas, including for community outreach.

This past Sunday, the Andover Robotics Club's three teams appeared at a regional qualifier in Needham. ARC Thunder received the Design Award in recognition of its durable and effective robot design, and ARC Lightning was presented with the Think Award for its creative thinking and detailed engineering portfolio.

Meanwhile, ARC Hailstorm earned the Motivate Award for its impressive community outreach.

In recent years, members of the team, and other members of the robotics club, have hosted summer sessions for middle schoolers at the Andover Youth Center, where participants get to build working robots.

Additionally, this past fall, the Andover Robotics Club hosted the inaugural Girls in Engineering Robotics Symposium (GEARS). The club invited girls from across Massachusetts and parts of New Hampshire for a day of workshops and networking. Representatives from local colleges and companies and women who work in STEM-related fields also spoke to attendees about their experiences.

Suryadevara, who has been part of the robotics club for four years, said that while she enjoys the building and coding element of robotics, the club is about so much more.

"There's definitely a community aspect of it, it's kind of like a big family," Suryadevara said. "I didn't know code or build or anything going in, and it's amazing how much you can learn.

"But if code and build aren't your strengths, you can go into the organizational aspect of it and the documentation side. Or, you can handle social media, promotional videos, or reach out to sponsors."

Suryadevara continued: "There is more to (robotics club) than just building and coding. That may not be visible from the outside. But for me, it has been amazing and there is so much more that goes into it."

Robotics club members also get a chance to help organize competitions when AHS hosts events like it will this weekend.

There will be even more organizing duties next month when AHS hosts the State Championship for the first time. That event takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 4.