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High Peak Youth Robotics – what’s the FIRST Tech Challenge this year?
Members of High Peak Youth Robotics’ senior team explain what the FIRST Tech Challenge is this year and how the group is getting on with their tasks.
If this is your first time hearing about the FIRST Tech Challenge, read our introduction blog post from last year here.
What is the theme of this year’s challenge?
This year’s challenge is called ‘DECODE’ and it has an archaeology theme.
What does the robot have to do?
Teams need to build robots which launch green and purple balls, or ‘artefacts’, into large, opposing goals, creating specific colour patterns. We also have to manage a mirrored field, defensive play and a complex endgame – the last 20 seconds.
You score points by getting the ‘artefacts’ into the goals. Bonus points are also awarded for getting the different coloured balls into the pattern specified at the start.
Each team must score as many points as possible in the given 2:30 minutes. You win by scoring the most points alongside an alliance team – the matches are played 2v2.
What are the rules of the competition?
Some of the rules are:
- the first 30 seconds of each match is an automatic period, where the robot has to be coded to move and cannot be driven by a member of the team;
- the robot has to fit within an 18-inch by 18-inch cube, including any extensions, until the endgame;
- robots can hold up to three ‘artefacts’ at a time;
- the robot can’t touch the opposing robots;
- extra points are awarded for both alliance robots finishing in their designated box during the endgame;
What are the robot design challenges?
The challenges teams face include things like following the many regulations, creating an intake mechanism to bring the ‘artefacts’ into the robot, and creating a launching mechanism, a shooter, to fire them into the goal.
What have you achieved so far?
We have mainly completed all the hardware – an intake system using elastic bands and tails and a shooter made of a fly wheel – although we are still tweaking it. We are now in the process of creating software – working on the coding, to make sure it all works well and can be adapted – and starting the portfolio which we have to present to the judges.
How was the scrimmage?
The scrimmage was a fun and valuable experience. It was very helpful to be able to test the robot on a proper play-field and observe other teams.
When is the regional competition?
The FTC regional competition event takes place at Sheffield University on Wednesday 25 March 2026. We will play qualifying matches, compete for industry-judged awards and for a spot at the national championships which takes place in April.
What are you plans for the regional?
We plan to do our best, have fun and be respectful. We need to finish the coding, streamline the robot systems, and finish all the portfolio documents by the time it comes around.
How has having a second team impacted the group?
Having a second team has had a vast positive impact on the group due to people being around their own age/experience and having lots to do. The only draw-back, for the second team, is they have less experienced members.
>> the junior team has been working on building a ‘StarterBot’, a robot to the design provided by FIRST using their basic robotics kit. Their greatest challenge has been following the instructions! But they are making great progress and have started learning how to code the software which will drive the robot.
See more photos from the sessions on the project page here.
We now have a couple of spaces available in the junior team. If you know of any young people (12-18) in the High Peak who have an interest in robotics and enjoy building things and coding, please sign-up for a place on the project page here.
