Every year, on the last weekend of winter break, the Skyline robotics team gathers at the machine shop in Forsythe Middle School to kick off six weeks of build season. This year, members of the robotics team have to strategize, design, and develop their skills to build the best robot possible for the 2025 season game: REEFSCAPE.
Reefscape will require the team design robots to place PVC pipes called Coral on metal branches called the Reef while removing large kickballs called Algae from the field. Last year, teams had to shoot foam rings into a goal called the speaker.
Kickoff starts with an animated video to explain the game and all of its tasks. This is many members’ favorite part of kickoff. “Your mind just kind of spins and goes as fast as it can trying to figure out ways that you can do whatever task that you need to do,” said Callie Crawford (‘28)
After watching the video, the team switches gears into rule reading, strategizing, and prototyping. Each year’s game has its own set of unique rules, and unique objects that need to be picked up and scored. Students split into groups to work on prototypes for different parts of the game.
“So far, I’ve learned a lot about prototyping, how we’re using the materials that we have around the shop for some simple to access materials, to build ideas out and test them,” said Joowon Lee (‘28). “We prototyped an intake prototype which didn’t work out, we prototyped [an] indexer which worked out, and we’re going to improve on the design to make it a little bit better,” Lee said.
Students also have to build large wooden field elements to replicate the metal field they will be competing on. “Once we have the main season kick off, we’ll start prototyping,” said fabrication lead Corinne Sczomak (‘27). “Start like, building stuff for the field so we can test things.”
In order to build a robot every season, students on the team have to develop skills from teaching to project management to CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machining. The team has a whole shop full of tools that members learn how to use.
“We have a band saw, drilling mill, CNC. We have a bunch of hand tools, like wrenches, drills, screwdrivers, stuff like that. And we have a machine that bends metal,” said Suriya Ailawadi (‘27).
Robotics provides a space to gain experience for careers after high school or college. Depending on what part of the team they are on, members can gain experience with computer aided design software, mechanical engineering, electrical and wiring, programming, business and more.
“I want to go into a career involving mechanical engineering, so robotics has given me many of the necessary skills for this as well as … experience with machines that I might use in the future and didn’t have previous experience with,” said Ailawadi. “I’ve learned many important skills … including how to write sponsorship letters, leadership skills, collaborative and communication skills, and problem solving.”
If you are interested in seeing the Skyline robotics team play this year, you could visit their competition at 2380 S Milford Rd in Milford on February 28th and March 1st, or their competition at 1300 Campus Pkwy in Saline on March 22nd and 23rd. If you are interested in joining the team, all students are welcome to join at the beginning of next year.
