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FIRST TECH CHALLENGE · SUGAR LAND, TX

ROBO SAPIENS

TEAM #14503 · WORLDS DIVISION AWARD WINNERS

TEAM PHOTO · FTC #14503 DECODE SEASON

1ST PLACE INSPIRE · LEAGUESWINNING ALLIANCE CAPTAIN1ST PLACE INSPIRE · REGIONALS1ST PLACE THINK · WORLDS DIVISION2ND PLACE ROBOT GAME · WORLDS DIVISION57-PT SORTED AUTONOMOUS110+ AVG MATCH SCORE10,500+ IMPACTED

Years Committed

Total Impacted

Outreach Events

Teams Mentored

Personnel File

Meet the Team

Click any card to open that person's profile.

Years Committed

Total Impacted

Outreach Events

Teams Mentored

Sharing What We Build

Technical Outreach

Camps and workshops where we hand students the tools, not just the demo. Every event runs the way our season does — design it, code it, drive it — so nobody leaves having only watched.

1,000+

Students & Parents

10+

Technical Events

Core Workshop Tracks

Summer Youth Engineering Enrichment Program

Summer Camp01

Summer Youth Engineering Enrichment Program

Forty-plus students, three workshop tracks, built around the three things our team does every season: design it, code it, drive it. Splitting the camp meant everyone got hands-on time instead of watching a demonstration.

Mechanical Design Coding Robot Driving

40+

Students

Tracks

This camp brought together 40+ students across a run of workshops built around the three things our team does every season: design it, code it, drive it. The mechanical design sessions introduced how a robot's parts are planned and fitted together before anything actually gets built. The coding workshops covered programming fundamentals, giving students their first look at how written instructions turn into robot movement. The driving portion then handed them the controls so they could put those ideas into practice on a real robot. Splitting the camp into three tracks meant every student got hands-on time instead of sitting through a demonstration. Our goal was to send them home having actually built, written, and driven something themselves.

Engineering Camp02

Jain Society of Houston Summer Engineering Camp

Thirty-odd students moving through three stations rather than sitting in one long session, with interactive challenges and games built into every rotation to keep the pace up.

Mechanical Design Coding Robot Driving Challenges & Games

30–35

Students

Stations

We ran this camp for a group of 30–35 students, organized as a rotation rather than one long session. Each group moved through three stations — mechanical design, coding, and robot driving — so nobody spent the entire camp on the same activity. The design station focused on how individual components come together into a mechanism that actually works. The coding station introduced the basics of programming a robot to follow instructions. At the driving station, students took direct control of a robot and tested what they had just learned. We built interactive challenges and games into every rotation to keep the pace up and give the students something to compete over.

Beyond the Robot

Non-Technical Outreach

Getting FIRST in front of scouts, families, and the people who fund the pipeline. These events are less about our robot and more about why programs like ours need to exist at all.

100+

Hours Logged

10+

Non-Technical Events

175+

People Reached Directly

Scouting01

Troop 549 Robotics Merit Badge

Fifty-plus scouts and parents in one session, opening with foundational engineering before moving into hands-on Arduino work — aimed squarely at what scouts need for the merit badge.

Engineering Concepts Arduino Mechanical Design

50+

Scouts

Arduino

Hands-On

This event reached 50+ scouts and parents in a single session. We opened with foundational engineering concepts — the ideas that sit underneath any robot long before a part gets cut. From there we moved into Arduino programming, giving scouts hands-on time with microcontrollers and simple circuits. We also covered basic robotics and mechanical design so they could see how the electronics and the physical build depend on one another. Running the session with parents in the room meant the adults came away understanding what their scouts were working toward. The material was aimed squarely at what scouts need for the robotics merit badge.

Business Community02

Seth Brothers Investment Outreach

A room of Houston business leaders, framed around workforce development rather than competition results — robotics explained in the terms they already work in.

FIRST Overview Workforce Development Team Operations

25+

Leaders

FIRST

Pipeline

We presented to 25+ Houston business leaders on FIRST and what the program actually does. The focus was workforce development — the link between competitive robotics and the technical talent pipeline those programs feed. We walked through how an FTC team operates day to day, from the engineering work to the outreach and business side of running a team. Speaking to a business audience meant framing robotics in terms they deal with already, rather than in competition language. Events like this build the local support that keeps teams like ours running season after season. It also puts FIRST in front of people in a position to sponsor a team or help start one.

Public Library03

Houston Public Library STEM Event

A hundred-plus community members, live robot demos running next to hands-on STEM activities — and a venue that reached families who were never looking for a robotics event.

Robot Demos Hands-On STEM Family Outreach

100+

Reached

Live

Demos

This event put us in front of 100+ community members, including both students and parents. We ran interactive robot demonstrations so people could watch a competition robot drive and score up close instead of on a screen. Alongside the demos we set up hands-on STEM activities, so visitors could try something themselves rather than only watching. Holding it at a public library meant we reached families who had not gone looking for a robotics event in the first place. Parents left with a clearer picture of what FIRST involves and what it asks of a student. For the younger visitors it was a low-pressure first look at what a robotics team actually does.

DECODE · Build Report

Our Robot

Built for speed, precision, and reliability.

SYS

FULL ASSEMBLY

Overview

Robot Overview

Our DECODE robot is built for speed, precision, and reliability. It integrates a vectored intake, automated spindexer sorting system, and a servo-driven turret shooter. Using Pedro Pathing, goBILDA Pinpoint odometry, Limelight vision, and custom sensor algorithms, we achieve a consistent 57-point fully sorted autonomous and maintain 110+ average match scores.

SYS.01 · INTAKE

Subsystem 01

Artifact Intake

A 2-stage vectored + gecko wheel intake funnels artifacts toward the centerline for fast, jam-resistant collection. Rubberband counter rotation and optimized wheel overlap allow intake from wide angles while minimizing bounce outs.

SYS.02 · SHOOTER

Subsystem 02

Shooter

A servo-driven coaxial hood flywheel shooter enables dynamic shot angles independent of robot heading. Flywheel weights increase inertia for rapid fire, while PID control maintains consistent velocity within ±10 ticks for reliable scoring.

SYS.03 · SPINDEXER

Subsystem 03

Spindexer

Our 10-inch spindexer turntable detects artifact color immediately upon intake and reorders in real time. Powered by a high-torque motor and encoder feedback, it ensures precise indexing for a fully sorted 12-artifact autonomous.

SYS.04 · TRANSFER

Subsystem 04

Transfer

A belted dual gecko wheel transfer, powered by a high-speed servo, moves artifacts smoothly from the spindexer into the shooter. Dividers and optimized slot spacing reduce jams while maintaining cycle speed.

Mission Log

Our Achievements

Three seasons of climbing — from league fields to the world stage.

'26

SEASON LOG · 2025–2026

The Worlds Run

Our journey to the FTC World Championships was built on a season of hard work, growth, and consistent success. At Leagues, we earned the 1st Place Inspire Award and became Winning Alliance Captain, showing our strength both on and off the field. We then carried that momentum into Regionals, where we won the 1st Place Inspire Award, qualifying us for the World Championships. At Worlds, we continued to represent our team at the highest level, earning 1st Place Think Award in our division and finishing 2nd Place for Robot Game in our division. This path reflects our team's dedication to engineering, outreach, teamwork, and innovation throughout the entire season.

'25

SEASON LOG · 2024–2025

Building the Foundation

Our team built a strong foundation through dedication, teamwork, and continuous improvement. At Leagues, we earned the 1st Place Inspire Award and became Winning Alliance Captain, showing our strength in robot performance, engineering, outreach, and team culture. We advanced to Regionals, where we made it to the playoffs and earned 3rd Place Inspire Award, a major achievement that reflected the impact of our season. Although our journey ended at Regionals, that season pushed us to grow as a team and helped prepare us for even greater success in the future.

'24

SEASON LOG · 2023–2024

Proving Consistency

Our team continued to prove our strength and consistency by earning 1st Place Inspire Award and becoming Winning Alliance Captain at Leagues. This success advanced us to Regionals, where we competed hard and made it into the playoffs. Although we were eliminated during the Regional playoffs, the season was still an important step in our team's growth. It helped us gain more experience, strengthen our engineering process, and build the foundation for the success we achieved in the seasons that followed.

Mission Support