WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ore. — This April, the Mechanical Mages traveled to Houston for the first time to compete in the FIRST Championship, an international robotics competition run by the FIRST Tech Challenge that draws teams from around the globe.
“In 4-H we’re all about project-based learning. FIRST Tech Challenge gives students that taste of competition, but a lot of learning outcomes come from it.”
The 13-member robotics team, chartered with the Oregon State University Extension Service 4-H Youth Development Program, earned their place through strong engineering, programming and robot-driving skills — and by presenting to judges, networking with peers and engaging younger students in outreach.
The team traces its origins to coach Sameer Ruiwale, who launched a FIRST LEGO League robotics team with his eldest son, Sid, and friends when Sid was in elementary school. By 2022, Sid was ready for a more advanced competition. Ruiwale chose the FIRST Tech Challenge because of its emphasis on community outreach and recruited more than a dozen middle-schoolers to form a new team.
After OSU Extension in Washington County approved the Mechanical Mages as an official 4-H club in 2023, Ruiwale and parent volunteers completed 4-H volunteer training.
“This is an expensive program,” Ruiwale said. “Enrolling with 4-H was a great opportunity to spread the program, connect with more people, and seek out sponsors and funding because of 4-H’s nonprofit status.”
Washington County 4-H supports three community-based robotics teams, said Allen Taggart, assistant professor of practice and 4-H coordinator. Interest is high thanks to employers such as Tektronix and Intel.
“In 4-H we’re all about project-based learning,” Taggart said. “FIRST Tech Challenge gives students that taste of competition, but a lot of learning outcomes come from it.”
Designing this year’s robot
Each September, FIRST announces the tasks robots must complete. For 2023–24, teams were challenged to:
- Pick up hexagonal pucks in one corner of the field.
- Deposit them on a sloped board across the field.
- Earn bonus points by doing pull-ups on a bar.
- Launch paper airplanes.
The first 30 seconds of every 2½-minute match are autonomous, requiring pre-programmed moves. Robots must also navigate around three other robots on the field.
The Mechanical Mages assembled in Ruiwale’s garage several nights a week, guided by Ruiwale and co-coach Ankit Shah. Team members wore wizard hats — a nod to the “mages” theme — and split into CAD, build, software and outreach groups.
“A robot is never done,” said team member Krrish Ravuri, now in 10th grade.
A breakthrough year
As the team refined “The Prowler,” its vacuum-equipped, multi-directional robot, the outreach group organized tech company tours and staffed the 4-H booth at the Washington County Fair.
Their efforts paid off at the Oregon state competition on March 9–10, where the Mages captained the winning alliance and earned their first trip to the World Championships. To prepare, the team worked late into the night, fueled by takeout pizza.
At the George R. Brown Convention Center, the team spent four 12-hour days giving presentations, staffing their booth and meeting hundreds of teams. They won seven of their 10 matches — a strong showing, even though they didn’t advance to the finals.
“The exposure to really consistent and good teams who are always in the top five globally is huge,” said ninth-grader Prathamesh Kulkarni.
Planning for the next season
After returning home, the Mages took one week to catch up on schoolwork before planning for 2024–25.
“They were all ready to go,” Ruiwale said. “I could see that fire.”
This summer, they plan to repeat a successful fundraising project: leading four-day robotics camps for elementary-school students at the OSU Extension office in Beaverton.
“Younger kids look at the robot these high school students have built, and they can’t believe it,” Ruiwale said. “They ask, ‘This is what you put together?’ And these guys say, ‘You can do that, too.’”
Previously titled Hard work and skills lead to trip to world competition for 4-H robotics club
