As with other Northwood teams, members of the school’s Robotics squad each have their roles to play. Brian B. ’23 is the team’s Captain and explains, “During competitions, I make sure all my team is doing what they need to be doing. I pay attention more to the mechanical side of the robot rather than, for example, coding, so I look at it from an engineering standpoint and if we need to, I can usually figure something out that'll work out a little bit better.” As Brian speaks, Kirk N. '23 studies a laptop, intensely scrolling through the lines of code necessary for the Northwood robot to perform during the upcoming Finger Lakes Regional where, during a two-and-one-half minute event, teams from around the northern and western New York region score points by obtaining and placing objects individually, and working with other robots to steady the machines on a balance beam, and perform other skills. Robots also require a lot of maintenance. Abby N. '23's role is to anticipate and prepare the spare parts necessary should replacements be required. “I help put a kit together so that we have materials for the motor and other parts.” She’ll be attending Davidson College where she plans on a pre-med track and notes how robots can help with real-world problems, “With medical procedures, for example, different clamps are needed that robots can now provide, which it makes it easier to do procedures.” The team is also responsible for supplying their own elements, which are the ramps, stands, and other objects that go into creating the competition course. Under the supervision of Science faculty member, Matt Roy, Christie-Ann N. '23 works with a variety of tools in the team’s carpentry space. As Brain B. summarizes, “Robotics teaches people how to problem solve, and everybody here is pretty good at this point, and they can take that skill set and bring it into real world application.”