Where We Work and What We Do
Housed at Mayfield Senior School in Pasadena California, our programs run year round, meeting two to three times a week.
Preseason
During the summer, our teams train new members, prototype mechanisms, and practice fabricating and assembling robots. New members work through our Level I curriculum learning the basics of structure, kits, linear and rotary mechanisms, intakes, drivetrains, software, and basic electronics. Returning members teach the Level I courses and procees through Level II and III courses, building more advanced linear and rotating mechanisms and begin integrating sensors and feedback.
The crowning activity of Preseason is a three-day summer camp put on by our founding teams, 25 Rock n Roll Robots and 5218 Javabots. At camp, several dozen girls from 8-11 spend three days with the teams at a sleepover camp. Over the three days, the teams run a complete robot competition in which the campers design, fabricate, and drive competition robots in a tournament on Day 3.
Competition Season
Following the release of the Game Manual and Kickoff in early September, robot design and prototype mechanism fabrication kicks into high gear. Teams spend meeting time in the early part of the season assembling and testing mechanisms, writing the bulk of their software, and testing the effectiveness of their designs.
Each team competes in a league of approximately 15 teams. Each league has four meets in the first half of the season. As League Meets progress, the robot and its mechanisms continue to evolve and improve. It is not uncommon for a team to completely rebuild their robot multiple times during this period.
After the last League Meet, neighboring leagues compete in a larger, Inter-League Tournament (ILT) in late January. By this point in the season, robots are mature and drivers are honing their skills to maximize points. Teams advancing from ILT move on to Regionals.
At Regionals, competitive robots are fast, efficient, and capably piloted by two drivers. Each robot has sophisticated software for the autonomous and endgame portions of the Game, and significant automation routines for the teleoperated portion. Teams advancing from Regionals move on to the World Championship in April.
At the very end of the season, the best teams on Earth meet for the World Championships. This is the highest level of youth robotics competition, and more than 40,000 students participate every year. There are multiple leagues ranging from elementary through high school, there are multiple classes of robot, and there are teams from nearly every country on Earth, and every one of them is outstanding. Many of these robots are professional-grade, every one of them is the culmination of many months of very hard work by dozens of dedicated students.
Outreach
Throughout the year, all RobotGirls teams engage in significant community and STEM outreach activities. These range from coaching and volunteering in other robot competitions to teaching elementary sschool students about robotics and STEM to hosting a summer camp so younger girls can experience an entire robot competition. Our teams volunteer at hospitals, partner organizations like NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and local Girl Scout activities. They design, make, and send STEM kits throughout the world to engage girls in other countries.