Our BectoBots team, headed by Mrs. Elizabeth Mackanin, has been on a mission to make it to a state level competition. Each year, their robot is designed to complete tasks that are required for competition. For example, this year it needed to be able to pick up octagon shaped plastic pixels and create mosaic patterns on a backdrop board. It also needs to be able to shoot a paper airplane and suspend itself from a bar. Each year, the competition is different so it is always an original idea that comes from their design department. In the team’s effort of picking names, this year the BectoBots team had changed the name from “BectoBob” to “Becky.”
The biggest challenge that the BectoBots team had faced, and are still facing, is being able to suspend the bot during maintenance or troubleshooting without disrupting its functionality. This is crucial to ensure that any necessary updates or repairs can be carried out smoothly without causing any downtime for the bot.
Their first competition of the year took place on Nov. 26 at Ridgewood High School. The team did exceptionally well. The competition works “similar to wrestling,” as stated by Mrs. Mackanin, “There are anywhere from five to seven matches against other teams. But rather than one-on-one competitions, you compete alongside another team against two other teams. Then the next matches will be shuffled. So your opponent could be your alliance at any time. Each team scores both for themselves, which is how we get ranked, and for the alliance, which is how we win or lose a match. So in our first competition, we were the high scoring team for most matches.” However, during their second competition this year which took place in Hackensack High School, they were not so successful. Despite this, the team stays positive in looking for ways to improve “Becky.”
In addition to their dedication and time commitment, the team’s success can also be attributed to their effective collaboration and strong leadership from Tim Pineda. It was reported by Mrs. Mackanin that Pineda stepped up and took a large responsibility for the team, and for their robot, once most members graduated.
As a whole, by setting goals for each meeting, the team has not only increased their efficiency but also ensured that they are well prepared for every task. Their unity and focus on achieving common objectives have been the key to their progress and success, and because of this common goal, the team is open all-year-round for anybody to join. As long as you have a drive and a desire to learn, the BectoBots is for you.
According to Mrs. Mackanin, she is personally proud of this year’s design as it has by far been the most challenging for the team. They were complimented by another team on the design of their outstanding claw because it can not only efficiently pick up and place the pixels, but the claw can do so facing forward or backward and can fold up to a compact size!
The BectoBots have proven themselves to always overcome the face of adversity and we are excited to see how the rest of this year plays out!
