Two South Bay High Schools Join Forces to Create a Robot from Scratch

While Redondo Union and Mira Costa usually square off as local rivals, they work as a team in the competitive world of robotics. Beach Cities Robotics – Team 294 unites innovative students from both campuses in a six-week sprint to create a competitive robot for regional finals. 

“It brings an intriguing dynamic initially,” shares Mira Costa student Drew Whitney of the collaboration with Redondo Union. “However, when we all realize that we are here for the same cause, we all become one cohesive team. What truly unites us is the shared passion for what we do. It’s a second family-type feeling.”

That family will spend hundreds of hours together, each student designing subsystems of the robot. Depending on their interests, they take on a specialty such as electrical, mechanical, programming or business. As Drew describes it, this year’s entry is a bit like “robot frisbee golf with a ‘musical’ theme played on a standardized field in competition with other robots.” They hope to qualify for the world finals in Houston this April.

“The Beach Cities Robotics experience will provide an invaluable head start in that direction. And I can’t wait to see our future and how robotics will play a role in it.”

The team also benefits from an incredible mentorship program with people working on next-generation spacecraft at SpaceX, aerospace systems and satellites at Northrop Grumman and RTX (Raytheon), and strategists at Disney Imagineering. The hands-on environment offers lessons that students can’t get in a classroom. It helped inspire Drew to imagine a future in mechanical or aerospace engineering. 

“My passion for engineering in the robotics field will allow me to pursue study in college in a field that I love and ultimately a career that will be rewarding,” he says. “The Beach Cities Robotics experience will provide an invaluable head start in that direction. And I can’t wait to see our future and how robotics will play a role in it.”