Something Special and NASA

This past Saturday, members of Texas Torque met at Something Special, a charity shop run by our local women’s shelter, to commemorate our continued partnership. After a group picture, we headed to the Robonauts’ lab at the Johnson Space Center to practice with other teams and make any necessary modifications to our robot.

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Members of Texas Torque, the Robonauts, Spectrum, CRyptonite, and the AwtyBots met at NASA’s Johnson Space Center to prepare for upcoming competitions. All team members worked together to simulate matches, watch broadcasts of live matches, and prepare for competition. Many of us gained useful experience through these endeavors, and some of Texas Torque’s newer members had the chance to befriend members of other teams. We were able to make some useful additions to our robot and get valuable practice time on a full competition field with other robots.

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We are very thankful for all the time and effort our fellow Houston area FRC teams put forth in coming together to practice, as well as 118 in particular for the Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition they displayed in inviting us over and allowing us to use their home field. We can’t wait to meet you on the battlefield, whether at Alamo, Utah, Lone Star, or beyond!

Armstrong, Bush, and Book Fair Demos

On Thursday, February 18, members of Texas Torque demonstrated our 2013 robot, Sonic, to crowds of elementary school students at Armstrong Elementary’s annual math and science night. We were able to give the kids an exciting introduction to robotics, as well as point them in the direction of Armstrong’s own FLL teams.

The next Thursday, February 25, we brought Sonic to the Bush Elementary Science Night. At this event, we were able to drive Sonic around the school’s gym, show the students and parents what Sonic could do and how those things were done, and spread the word about FIRST.

On Saturday, February 27, our county book fair was held at the same school in which our headquarters are located. Because of this, we were able to show not only Sonic, but also robots from other years such as Rev1 and Apogee. We spoke with students of all ages, from elementary to high school, and provided information about FIRST and its various programs.

We at Texas Torque greatly enjoy community outreach events and are grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in these demonstrations. The team looks forward to future opportunities to make FIRST loud!

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Sci:// Tech Demonstration

On January 30th, Texas Torque joined a score of other science themed activities at the Lone Star Convention Center for a day of exhibitioning and demonstrating. Holding a spot next to the Elementary Science Fair, our team brought out our 2012 robot Velociriptar and our 2013 world championship winning robot Sonic for a total of 6 hours of demonstration. We explained functions, mechanisms, and processes behind the robot’s construction and operation to scores of young students, parents, and interested individuals. We also drove the robots around to show how they worked in action.

Our space, which was shared with FLL, VEX, and BEST, showcased the benefits of robotics and engineering and all the opportunities that our district offered. With our layout, we managed to demonstrate and explain an optional progression through robotics programs as kids went through their schools and educations.

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Many eager young minds found inspiration to begin their explorations into science through this demonstration, and we look forward to coming here again next year.

Kickoff 2016 (FIRST Stronghold)

On January 10th, 8:30 A.M. Central Standard Time, Texas Torque gathered in an LGI to witness the unveiling of the new 2016 FRC game. Our entire roster of members, alumni, and mentors came together to take in and plan for the exciting new challenge for this year. The new game, FIRST Stronghold, features many unique elements, from defense crossing and boulder shooting to spying and climbing. Teams everywhere are expected to meet a number of guidelines and build a robot that can perform a number of tasks for a variety of purposes. Several new game elements like audience and team selected defenses make for a uniquely dynamic and progressive match every time, and teams are certain to be faced with a different challenge every time they step on the field. Cooperation and point scoring are also modified for this year, with two separate scores: one to determine which alliance wins a match, and one for qualification.

 

The addition and implementation for all of these new elements has made our team more eager than ever to inspire, build, and conquer the field. With good wishes to every team out there, Texas Torque begins its quest to conquer the FIRST Stronghold.

 

We will soon meet you all on the battlefield at Alamo!

Houston Maker Faire

This last Saturday, November 14th, Texas Torque joined teams 624 CRyptonite, 2587 Discobots, 4082 RoboSpartans, 4587 Jersey Voltage, 3335 Cy-Ranch Cy-Borgs, 3847 Spectrum, and 4412 SST Steel Stallions at the 3rd annual Houston Maker Faire at the George R. Brown Convention Center for a full day of demo-ing and exhibiting. The Maker Faire is a convention that showcases “makers” (independent inventors, engineers, craftsmen, hobbyists, etc) and their innovations at one large, centralized location. Here, products and inventions ranging from simple DIY fabrications to hand-built completely wooden C&C machines are presented for public viewing and interaction. FIRST had a strong presence at this demonstration with all of the aforementioned teams exhibiting together on a model FRC field. All sorts of functions were showcased, including challenges and events from previous years, like 2013’s Ultimate Ascent, last year’s Aerial Assist, and this year’s Recycle Rush. Team 624 made a guest appearance of it’s 2012 Rebound Rumble Robot. All of the teams there had great fun demonstrating the variety and intricacies of robotics to all kinds of crowds, and team members enjoyed the friendly interaction between audience and robot. Many of us look forward to returning here next year to continue upholding the standard of local robotics capabilities.

More info and a comprehensive maker participant guide can be found here and here, respectively.

CISD Bond Proposal Passes

It was announced Wednesday, November 4th, that the CISD school and education bond has passed with 69 to 31 percent in favor. This news heralds the advancement of robotics and STEM for years to come, and the whole team looks forward to seeing what new prospects this advancement will hold.

To support this bond, students from Torque went out to various polling locations and campaigned tirelessly for many hours, presenting flyers and helpful advice to any interested. It is without a doubt that the help from efforts like these went a long way in promoting the understanding and awareness of this bond and its importance for the future of the team.

More information can be found here.