This past month, the SaMoTech Robotics team in partnership with local middle school squad CyberDragons, once again went far in the SoCal Regional Championship of the FIRST Tech Challenge. In a competition where each team is challenged to design, build, program and operate robots in head-to-head challenges, the two teams lost in a double tie-breaker in the Regional Semifinals.
“When we started the team … our goal was just to qualify for Regionals, but now, after coming so close to winning the whole competition – our goal next season is to represent California at the World Championship,” said SaMoTech Assistant Coach Robert Kirbyson of the competition.
Even with the loss, the SaMoTech and CyberDragons have continued to take major strides in building a mechanical powerhouse. The CyberDragons began as the official team of John Adams Middle School in 2015, originally funded primarily by the California Department of Education Science Magnet program. Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, CyberDragons alumni moved onto Santa Monica High School, wanting to have their own robotics team.
An initial attempt to create a team under the official Samohi banner was unsuccessful, leading to the creation of the independent SaMoTech team under the guidance of parent Chris Rowe, who graduated from Stanford University with a Mechanical Engineering degree. Working out of Rowe’s backyard, SaMoTech soared despite the cramped working conditions, going 28-0 in head-to-head competitions over the past two years.
In head-to-head robotics competitions, each team is told about specific tasks their mechanical creations must achieve, such as using autonomous robots to place objects in specific locations. Within just two years, the SaMoTech autonomous program is currently ranked 27th out of over 6,500 teams worldwide in the FIRST Tech Challenge.
“When we started, it was six core kids, but then we found out that these other kids in the neighborhood wanted to be on teams … we ended up having nine kids representing four different schools in the first year and as a community team, we can do that,” Kirbyson said. “And we went really far, we were surprised [that in] our first year [we] never lost a single regular season match.”
The success captured the attention of several sponsors, including business heavyweights like ZipRecruiter and Boeing as well as local institutions like the Rotary Club of Santa Monica. Sponsorships have aided in the financial burden that parents took on to help get the club running, though Kirbyson says the burden was more like a “bang for the buck” due to his son, Brandon, finding a potential career path in the technology sector.
“I can see my son [and] I think he’s actually found his calling … he loves this,” Kirbyson said. “Within two years, became a master coder.”
The support extends to the entirety of the SaMoTech team, which has built friendships alongside the mechanical creations.
“What I love about our kids is we have some kids who are more on the artistic side … some were more coders, some are more builders … and they really are amazing, and the team is good because they’re so diverse … they have a great balance between them [with] different skills,” Kirbyson added.
The public was able to gain an understanding of what a robotics team does during Saturday’s Arts and Literacy Festival at Virginia Avenue Park, when members of SaMoTech and CyberDragons convened to show off their creations. Now with increased public support, SaMoTech will be making a renewed push to be an official club under the Samohi banner, a “long term mission” to see robotics teams adapted into public schools similar to athletics teams and music programs.
“Engineering is the job that everybody [needs] … this is a fun, but incredibly valuable learning resource for these kids,” Kirbyson said. “They’re learning, but it seems like they don’t even know that they’re learning because they’re just having so much fun.”
Alongside the push to be recognized as a part of the local school ecosystem, SaMoTech and CyberDragons are also seeking a greater work space than just a parent’s backyard or garage, asking around to different companies and educational institutions if they can help. To donate to SaMoTech Robotics and to find out more information, visit samotechrobotics.com