The Impact of Using Multiple Drive Teams on a FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Team During Competition

FIRST For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology – is a global program that inspires students to learn and love STEM. FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) rallies students in grades 9-12 to design and build a robot according to the competition specifications revealed at kick-off; marking the start of build season which lasts a little over six weeks. The students then travel to competition events where a drive team of four students operates the robot; competing in numerous matches over a two or three day period to earn ranking points and ultimately qualifying for higher level (state or world) competitions. The 2016 FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) season was filled with excitement, a challenging competition design, FIRST Stronghold, and many talented youth, mentors, and leaders. Part of the excitement is the opportunity to drive the robot in competition. Unfortunately, this privilege is usually reserved for just a few students due to the nature of the competition. Different teams view the roles and responsibilities of the drive team through their own lens. Drive team composition is defined by the game rules each year. In 2016, the game called for four students to make up one drive team; each with their own roles. In 2017, the drive team required 5 students. Many teams have 10-40 students (if not more) who spend many hours during build season designing, building, and testing the robot. It is a bit of a let down when they are not chosen as part of the drive team. However, FRC Team PyroTech, #3459 overcame this disappointment by creating and piloting a new model that implemented the use of multiple drive teams during the 2011 competition season. There were a total of 17 students on the team. Implementing two drive teams participating equally in each competition gave 8 of the 17 students the opportunity to participate in the matches. In subsequent years, the team has grown this practice to using three drive teams to maximize the number of team members who get the experience of using the mechanism they built in the pressure of competition; giving almost every team member a place on a drive team in 2017. This paper documents the model created and used by Team PyroTech and the impact and success of this approach. FRC Team SUM #6003 also implemented a similar model during a recent exhibition competition. A survey was created to gauge the use of multiple drive teams by other teams.