Team xbot: "Inspiring the neXt generation of innovators, one robot at a time"
The goal of team xbot is to continue to enrich their students with FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), who are underprivileged minority students, and give them an opportunity that they would not receive in a public school setting. Team xbot has demonstrated significant impact on the students who participate in the program and the surrounding community in which they live.
Team xbot is a robotics competition team with the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST visit www.usfirst.org) organization. Students are recruited from Franklin High School Seattle, WA and the Seattle's inner city south end public high schools. Students work together with professional engineers to design, build, and program a 120 pound 5 feet competition robot in six short weeks. The 3D animation team creates a safety animation entry and a regional entry based on the animation award theme. Marketing, fund raising and team management keeps the team in motion.
Many of our students come from homes where little to no English is spoken, making communication with parents about team activities and accomplishments challenging. The team works dilligently within these diverse communities to share its mission and demonstrate its success with business and community leaders.
Team xbot faces many challenges greater than building a robot or competing effectively on the playing field. Creating a sustainable program that serves underprivileged and minority youth from throughout Greater Seattle has required that we adopt unique strategies for demonstrating effectiveness and the value of the FIRST program.
The team is also committed to encouraging an appreciation for the unique diversity of its members. The team annually participates in parades and traditional festivals throughout Seattle, demonstrating to children in all these communities what potential they have to make positive changes for themselves, their families and the world around them. The Soulfest Parade through Seattle's Central District and the Chinatown Parade are among the teams' favorite events.
Team xbot is a robotics competition team with the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST visit www.usfirst.org) organization. Students are recruited from Franklin High School Seattle, WA and the Seattle's inner city south end public high schools. Students work together with professional engineers to design, build, and program a 120 pound 5 feet competition robot in six short weeks. The 3D animation team creates a safety animation entry and a regional entry based on the animation award theme. Marketing, fund raising and team management keeps the team in motion.
Many of our students come from homes where little to no English is spoken, making communication with parents about team activities and accomplishments challenging. The team works dilligently within these diverse communities to share its mission and demonstrate its success with business and community leaders.
Team xbot faces many challenges greater than building a robot or competing effectively on the playing field. Creating a sustainable program that serves underprivileged and minority youth from throughout Greater Seattle has required that we adopt unique strategies for demonstrating effectiveness and the value of the FIRST program.
The team is also committed to encouraging an appreciation for the unique diversity of its members. The team annually participates in parades and traditional festivals throughout Seattle, demonstrating to children in all these communities what potential they have to make positive changes for themselves, their families and the world around them. The Soulfest Parade through Seattle's Central District and the Chinatown Parade are among the teams' favorite events.
Our Accomplishments
2009
Atlanta Championship 2009: team xbot returns home as the Archimedes Division Finalist. team xbot is one of the top 24 robotics team in the World! The team has medals, the trophy and bragging rights in hand. The Championship hosts four divisions - Curie, Galileo, Newton and Archimedes. -- team xbot seeded #6 of 87 teams and one could hear the announcer say 'XBOT -- the machine to be feared!'. As the #6 seed, team xbot captain Phounsouk Sivilay selected team #113 (Robonauts - NASA-JSC & Clear Creek ISD, League City, TX) and team 343 (MetalinMotion - Seneca High School & Walhalla High School & West-Oak High School & Tamassee-Salem High School Seneca, SC) as our alliance partners battling to the division finals defeating the #3 alliance (quarter finals), #2 . Alliance (semi-finals) to reach the finals playing the #5 Alliance. 'Number IX' ran flawlessly picking up Moon rocks with the conveyor system, then trapping the opponents trailer and spewing the collected moon rocks into the opponents trailer (1.5 seconds) to score. Number IX can hold up to 20 Moon Rocks in it's hopper. Congratulations to all team xbot mission control specialists, team manager Alex Lam, pilots Phounsouk Sivilay & Andrew Kiszelewski and payload specialist Vy Tran. Go team xbot!
Seattle Regionals 2009: Lead by our Alliance Captains team #1425 Error Code (Wilsonville, OR) and partnered with team #1569 HaYwIrE RoBoTiCs(Pocatello ID) - alliance #2 remained undefeated in the MS/Seattle Regional finals and #1425, #1569 and #488 (team Xbot) are the Regional Winners. The Regional Winner has been an elusive award and with the General Motors Industrial Design Award as icing on the cake, team Xbot is the winner.
Portland Regionals 2009: team xbot lead by FHS payload specialist Vy Tran, FHS mission pilots Phounsouk Sivilay and Andrew Kiszelewski and mission commander Madison Krass (lead robot design mentor) to the Portland OR Regional quarter final rounds. Team xbot’s robot ‘Number IX’ features a unique and simple solution to the game Lunacy. ‘Number IX; has a Moon Rock (open weaved Orbit Balls) conveyor system collecting the Moon Rocks off the game floor – the Crater, storing the Moon Rocks in a hopper (up to 20 Rocks) and then delivering the payload hopper quickly spewing the Moon Rocks into the opponents trailer to score. Payload specialist Vy added points by throwing the Moon Rocks into the opponent’s trailer from the payload specialist station or the refueling station including teh Super Cell bonus points. Now imagine six teams on a field 24’ by 57’, 120 Moon Rocks and robots being driven on a the plastic field with smooth plastic wheels – 1/6 coefficient similar to driving on the Moon …therefore the name of the game Lunacy!
Mission control students lead by Program Director Donna Lew and volunteer engineering professionals; designed, built and programmed (National Instrument LabView programming environment) a 120 lb robot, 5' tall in six and half short weeks. Hats off to the team Xbot mission control students (FHS, CHS and Ingraham students)!
Only by double teaming ‘Number IX’ was the opponent Alliance (three robots) able to win the quarter finals and move on. Upon return to mission control, it was determined that ‘Number IX’ had smoked a jaguar motor controller - pilot Phounsouk was maneuvering ‘Number IX’ with only one motor. 'Number IX' will be repaired in time for the 2nd Mission - Microsoft/Seattle Regional March 26- 28 at Key Arena.
team Xbot was awarded the coveted Judges Award. During the course of the competition, the judging panel may encounter a team whose unique efforts, performance, or dynamics merit recognition. ‘team Xbot’ is well known for the recruiting of Seattle inner city public school students, team work, being a 100% self funded activity, team composition of 90% students of color and bringing this amazing Science, Technology, Engineering and Math experience to the students of Franklin H.S. and surrounding sister schools.
Atlanta Championship 2009: team xbot returns home as the Archimedes Division Finalist. team xbot is one of the top 24 robotics team in the World! The team has medals, the trophy and bragging rights in hand. The Championship hosts four divisions - Curie, Galileo, Newton and Archimedes. -- team xbot seeded #6 of 87 teams and one could hear the announcer say 'XBOT -- the machine to be feared!'. As the #6 seed, team xbot captain Phounsouk Sivilay selected team #113 (Robonauts - NASA-JSC & Clear Creek ISD, League City, TX) and team 343 (MetalinMotion - Seneca High School & Walhalla High School & West-Oak High School & Tamassee-Salem High School Seneca, SC) as our alliance partners battling to the division finals defeating the #3 alliance (quarter finals), #2 . Alliance (semi-finals) to reach the finals playing the #5 Alliance. 'Number IX' ran flawlessly picking up Moon rocks with the conveyor system, then trapping the opponents trailer and spewing the collected moon rocks into the opponents trailer (1.5 seconds) to score. Number IX can hold up to 20 Moon Rocks in it's hopper. Congratulations to all team xbot mission control specialists, team manager Alex Lam, pilots Phounsouk Sivilay & Andrew Kiszelewski and payload specialist Vy Tran. Go team xbot!
Seattle Regionals 2009: Lead by our Alliance Captains team #1425 Error Code (Wilsonville, OR) and partnered with team #1569 HaYwIrE RoBoTiCs(Pocatello ID) - alliance #2 remained undefeated in the MS/Seattle Regional finals and #1425, #1569 and #488 (team Xbot) are the Regional Winners. The Regional Winner has been an elusive award and with the General Motors Industrial Design Award as icing on the cake, team Xbot is the winner.
Portland Regionals 2009: team xbot lead by FHS payload specialist Vy Tran, FHS mission pilots Phounsouk Sivilay and Andrew Kiszelewski and mission commander Madison Krass (lead robot design mentor) to the Portland OR Regional quarter final rounds. Team xbot’s robot ‘Number IX’ features a unique and simple solution to the game Lunacy. ‘Number IX; has a Moon Rock (open weaved Orbit Balls) conveyor system collecting the Moon Rocks off the game floor – the Crater, storing the Moon Rocks in a hopper (up to 20 Rocks) and then delivering the payload hopper quickly spewing the Moon Rocks into the opponents trailer to score. Payload specialist Vy added points by throwing the Moon Rocks into the opponent’s trailer from the payload specialist station or the refueling station including teh Super Cell bonus points. Now imagine six teams on a field 24’ by 57’, 120 Moon Rocks and robots being driven on a the plastic field with smooth plastic wheels – 1/6 coefficient similar to driving on the Moon …therefore the name of the game Lunacy!
Mission control students lead by Program Director Donna Lew and volunteer engineering professionals; designed, built and programmed (National Instrument LabView programming environment) a 120 lb robot, 5' tall in six and half short weeks. Hats off to the team Xbot mission control students (FHS, CHS and Ingraham students)!
Only by double teaming ‘Number IX’ was the opponent Alliance (three robots) able to win the quarter finals and move on. Upon return to mission control, it was determined that ‘Number IX’ had smoked a jaguar motor controller - pilot Phounsouk was maneuvering ‘Number IX’ with only one motor. 'Number IX' will be repaired in time for the 2nd Mission - Microsoft/Seattle Regional March 26- 28 at Key Arena.
team Xbot was awarded the coveted Judges Award. During the course of the competition, the judging panel may encounter a team whose unique efforts, performance, or dynamics merit recognition. ‘team Xbot’ is well known for the recruiting of Seattle inner city public school students, team work, being a 100% self funded activity, team composition of 90% students of color and bringing this amazing Science, Technology, Engineering and Math experience to the students of Franklin H.S. and surrounding sister schools.
2008
Build team and Captain Mike earn bragging rights at the first team XBOT Regatta. It was the 41' Surt sailing against the 40' Cutler. On board the Cutler was the animation team and Captain Ross. Taking the lead the Cutler inched out the Surt at the first buoy. Captain Mike maneuvered the Surt capturing the best winds - moving into the lead. Even flying the spinnaker, the Cutler could not overtake the Surt. Outstanding tacking, jibing and giving the Cutler 'bad wind', the Surt crossed the finish line. Thank You Captain Mike and Captain Cutler! We love you! - the 2008 build and 2008 animation kids.
At the FIRST Microsoft Seattle Regional competition in Tacoma, OCHO earned the eighth seed position, and was picked to be in the 2nd seed alliance coming in as semifinalist. However, we didn't go home empty handed. The team won the highest and most prestigious award, The Chairman's Award honoring the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST. Team xbot was also awarded the Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Entrepreneurship Award, in recognition of the entrepreneurial spirit of a team that, since inception, has developed the framework for a comprehensive business plan to scope, manage, and achieve team objectives.
Team xbot comes home from a long weekend competing at the Oregon Regional (2/28-3/1). We are proud to have placed 2nd out of 55 teams and Semi Finalist alongside our alliance partners Team 100 from Woodside, CA and Rookie All-Stars Team 2550 from Oregon City, OR. Ocho will be heading to Tacoma for the Microsoft Seattle Regional for more action!
Semi Finalist at the Oregon Regional
2007
Robothon Judges Award - "Best Display of the Show"
Semi Finalist at the Pacific Northwest Regional
Silicon Valley Regional Engineering Inspirational Award
Finalist at the Silicon Valley Regional Competition
Quarter Finalist in the Galileo Division World Championship
2006
In December, 2006, we were thrilled for the opportunity to hold our first FLL qualifying event and are looking forward to making the event even more exciting and more rewarding for years to come. The team demonstrated its special, omnidirectional robot chassis to middle school students at this event and, as a result, has been contacted by many team leaders wanting to get their students involved. Even in the midst of a hectic build season, we were honored to give FLL mentors and students a tour of our workshop at Microsoft Research, inviting them to join in the fun of building the larger robots.
2004
Quarter Finalist at the Pacific Northwest Regional
2003
Quarter Finalist at the Pacific Northwest Regional
Build team and Captain Mike earn bragging rights at the first team XBOT Regatta. It was the 41' Surt sailing against the 40' Cutler. On board the Cutler was the animation team and Captain Ross. Taking the lead the Cutler inched out the Surt at the first buoy. Captain Mike maneuvered the Surt capturing the best winds - moving into the lead. Even flying the spinnaker, the Cutler could not overtake the Surt. Outstanding tacking, jibing and giving the Cutler 'bad wind', the Surt crossed the finish line. Thank You Captain Mike and Captain Cutler! We love you! - the 2008 build and 2008 animation kids.
At the FIRST Microsoft Seattle Regional competition in Tacoma, OCHO earned the eighth seed position, and was picked to be in the 2nd seed alliance coming in as semifinalist. However, we didn't go home empty handed. The team won the highest and most prestigious award, The Chairman's Award honoring the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST. Team xbot was also awarded the Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Entrepreneurship Award, in recognition of the entrepreneurial spirit of a team that, since inception, has developed the framework for a comprehensive business plan to scope, manage, and achieve team objectives.
Team xbot comes home from a long weekend competing at the Oregon Regional (2/28-3/1). We are proud to have placed 2nd out of 55 teams and Semi Finalist alongside our alliance partners Team 100 from Woodside, CA and Rookie All-Stars Team 2550 from Oregon City, OR. Ocho will be heading to Tacoma for the Microsoft Seattle Regional for more action!
Semi Finalist at the Oregon Regional
2007
Robothon Judges Award - "Best Display of the Show"
Semi Finalist at the Pacific Northwest Regional
Silicon Valley Regional Engineering Inspirational Award
Finalist at the Silicon Valley Regional Competition
Quarter Finalist in the Galileo Division World Championship
2006
In December, 2006, we were thrilled for the opportunity to hold our first FLL qualifying event and are looking forward to making the event even more exciting and more rewarding for years to come. The team demonstrated its special, omnidirectional robot chassis to middle school students at this event and, as a result, has been contacted by many team leaders wanting to get their students involved. Even in the midst of a hectic build season, we were honored to give FLL mentors and students a tour of our workshop at Microsoft Research, inviting them to join in the fun of building the larger robots.
2004
Quarter Finalist at the Pacific Northwest Regional
2003
Quarter Finalist at the Pacific Northwest Regional
