Southampton Robotics Team Gears Up For FIRST Robotics Competition

The Southampton High School robotics team, Team 9646 Mariners, is gearing up for their third year of competition as they prepare to take part in the FIRST Long Island Regional competition on March 19 at Hofstra University.

Since January, nearly 30 students, from freshmen to seniors, have been working diligently to design, construct and program a robot capable of performing multiple complex tasks, including shooting balls into a target, retrieving balls from the ground and hanging on a bar. To develop their robot, the team drew inspiration from previous Southampton High School robots, as well as designs from other schools in past competitions.

The team has devoted countless hours to testing, driving and refining their robot to ensure it is competition ready. Along with the technical work, the team has been building partnerships with local sponsors and fundraising to secure additional materials to engineer their robot. “Robotics has opened my eyes to a future career,” said junior Diego Ramos. His participation has led him to pursue mechanical engineering in college. He also intends to run for president of the club next year.

Senior Steven Morales, a member since the team’s inception, added, “This club is about more than building robots. It involves engineering, business and fundraising.” Morales also plans to study mechanical engineering in college.

As the team heads into competition, they are excited to showcase the results of their hard work and creativity. Although it is only their third year in competition, Team 9646 Mariners hopes to make a strong impression at Hofstra and continue building upon Southampton High School’s reputation in the robotics community.