FTC 7305 & 23606 

GearCats Robotics

We are the GearCats

FTC (First Tech Challenge) Teams 7305 & 23606

The GearCats is a middle school FIRST robotics team in Ann Arbor, Michigan. GearCats robots are constructed from custom and Tetrix components and driven by Java programming.

Middle school students gain education in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). As Gearcat students, we strategize, design, build, program, troubleshoot, and compete with the team robot for a chance at winning the national championship. 

Students come together as a team to put their best foot forward when building and competing. Emphasizing gracious professionalism, teams compete fairly with one another and support opposing teams to perform at their best.

The team is lead by local teachers, programmers, engineers and parent volunteers. We welcome parent and family involvement at our meetings and all FTC events require volunteers. Please contact us if you would like to become a mentor.

The GearCats are sponsored and mentored by FIRST Robotics Competition Team 830 The RatPack, a high school robotics team with members from six area high schools.

We strive to create a symbiotic relationship through student mentorship. Middle schoolers gain confidence and knowledge by learning from their high school counterparts. High school mentors gain valuable leadership and communication experience from guiding the middle school students. The end result is an empowering investment in both student groups.


FIRST

For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology

FIRST is an international organization that engages students from elementary school to high school in competitive robotics. Every year, FIRST develops a new game for each major age group. Games are designed for robots to play. Students custom design their robot every year to play the new game. Each team’s robot must be ready to compete when the deadline arrives, and no more work can be done on the robot until competition. 

Teams compete with their robots at the regional level for a chance at the state competition, and again for the world championship. Each match of the game is made of two alliances, red and blue. Each alliance is made up of two randomly selected robots. A robot on your alliance this match could become an opponent in the next. FIRST encourages Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition, where students and teams compete their hardest, yet are respectful to opponents and partners.

First Tech Challenge

FTC introduces middle schoolers to FIRST robotics. The GearCats are FTC Teams 7305 and 23606. Students build robots that fit within an 18 inch cube. GearCats students can learn how to design, construct, wire, and program their robot, depending on what interests them. They also can learn how to create their own custom parts out of metal sheet, extrusions, or blocks. The robot program is written in Java, a powerful programming language.