First Tech Challenge Team Build New Robot

The school’s FIRST Tech Challenge team, SPARKS, have been hard at work this season designing and building their new robot, designed to pick up and fire wiffle balls into a goal both autonomously and controlled.

After countless hours of design, the team created their first prototype for their scrimmage event in December. With several innovative parts, such as a rotating shooter and live angle adjustment, their work impressed the seasoned alumni and staff, as well as the rest of the teams in attendance.

They are currently working on a new iteration of their robot in advance of their regional qualifiers in March. A strong performance would send them to the Copperbox Arena for their national championships, in April.

Their innovations would not be possible without the support of their generous sponsors. As well as incredibly helpful donations from the school community, SPARKS is incredibly lucky to be sponsored by Accu Components (https://accu.co.uk) for the 25-26 season. Accu sells high-quality fasteners, tools, and structural components which ensure a fully robust, maintainable robot. Their support allows the team to focus on the more complex, inventive parts of their robot without fear of instability or failure elsewhere.

SPARKS have also been expanding their outreach efforts this season. Alongside their continued efforts in volunteering in Lego engineering classes, as well as their mentorship of local teams in FIRST Lego League as well as FIRST Tech Challenge, they are hosting a robotics day during the February half-term (16/02/2026) with free entry for primary school students aged 8-11. If you are interested, please email primarypartnerships@stpaulsschool.org.uk