The HHS robotics team, also known as the Hopkins Technocrats, held their first meeting of the school year on Thursday, Oct. 28.

Sponsored by various companies, including Medtronic, the team is mentored by various professionals to design and build a working robot within six weeks to complete a specific task under various constraints. Previous years have challenged teams across the globe to solve problems related to food contamination, trash disposal, and natural disasters.

Mr. Tim Amlie, Technology Education, who has been the adviser for the Hopkins Technocrats for about 15 years, has greatly enjoyed leading the team.

“It is great to see what our team members come up with each year to solve [problems].  It is even more fun to see what the alumni of our team are doing and how robotics helped them in their career decisions,” Amlie said.

Robotics tournaments are held by an organization known as For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST). All teams begin at the regional level, and the Technocrats have even reached the national-level tournament in previous years, competing against over 5,000 teams.

Nicky Ritchie, senior, the captain of the Hopkins Technocrats, has been on the team since his sophomore year. He is optimistic about the team’s potential this year.

“Last year, we were figuring things out more and more,” Ritchie said. “This year, I feel like we actually know what we’re doing, so that will be very helpful.”

Amlie encourages all students to join since no experience is required to join the team. Any required skills are taught during meetings, and the team is divided into several groups that work on different tasks, including programming and wood-cutting.

“It’s about your teammates – some are designing, some are building, some are working on a web-site, some are working on fundraising, and the list continues,” Amlie said. “There is definitely a place for [students] to not only share their strengths, but also learn from their teammates.”

Robotics meetings take place after school on Thursdays in room S167. Additional practices will occur later in the year.