Texas Torque showing great success in robotics community

THE WOODLANDS, Texas - Conroe ISD high school students interested in science, technology, engineering, and math can apply their strengths to something that has long been a figment of the imagination, but now a reality in today’s society: Robots.

Since 2010, the Texas Torque Robotics Team has tackled a new challenge every year, in which they have several weeks to create a robot which they then enter in various competitions that lead to the robotic World Championships in St. Louis.

The Texas Torque team is student led in nearly all aspects and deals with designing, constructing, and operating a robot as well as providing community outreach in the forms of volunteering, demos, and robotics camps for elementary and middle school children. Students on the team are generally from The Woodlands area, however, it is open to all high school students in the Conroe Independent School District and surrounding areas. Past and present team members have come from the Academy of Science and Technology, The Woodlands High School, The Woodlands College Park, Oak Ridge, as well as home schooled students.

Jacob Lubecki, a recent graduate of the Academy of Science and Technology, has been a member of Texas Torque since his sophomore year of high school.

“Academy students have to do independent research projects every year, and robotics can fulfill that requirement,” said Lubecki. “So there is a very large Academy student-base on the team.”

On the first Saturday of each year, the robotics season begins for teams all around the world who are part of the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), a nonprofit organization to inspire youth to become leaders in the fields of science and technology. The teams are then given 6 weeks known as the build period, where robots are constructed to perform the challenge for that year. For the 2014 robotics season, each team was asked to create three robots that could successfully pass and throw exercise balls to each other.

After the initial building period, there are 7 weeks of competition in which robotic teams from around the world compete. Throughout the season however, teams are allowed to build upon their robots in order to improve its overall success.

“You are allowed to bring a certain amount of weight to modify your robot at every competition,” said Lubecki.

Each year, Texas Torque competes at the Lone Star Regional that takes place at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Connor Smith, a team member of Texas Torque and soon to be senior at The Academy of Science and Technology, noted the different countries that made an appearance at the Lone Star Regional this past year.

“There were teams from China and Mexico,” said Smith. “It is really eye-opening.”

For their 2014 season, The Texas Torque and their main robot, REV 1, went all the way to the semi-finals of the World Championships in St. Louis. During the five years of its existence, the team has had an outstanding success rate, and even went to take first place in the 2013 World Championships.

The local robotics team encourages any interested students to join, even if they are not familiar with robots.

“That is what I like so much about our team,” said Smith. “Prior experience doesn’t matter because anyone can join. You will be taught how to do everything within your first year.”

Students can also join who do not necessarily have an interest in building robots, as the team is divided into different sub-teams that include mechanical, electrical, programming, scouting, outreach, media, business and safety.

“It is really great to see everyone on the team grow together as one unit,” said Smith.

For more information on Texas Torque and how to join, visit their website at the link provided below.