2008
FIRST Overdrive – Robot Name: H1
2008 was the first year of Herobotics. They competed at the brand new Minnesota Regional competition. The team performed pretty well and played hard to be a valuable member of every alliance in qualifications. Herobotics was a selected to play in finals with Team 2227 and Team 1987 and competed in the quarter finals. Herobotics ended the Minnesota Regional in 8th place with a record of 6 wins and 5 losses, and earned the Chrysler Team Spirit Award.
2009
LUNACY – Robot Name: H2
2009 was Herobotics’ second year. They competed at the Wisconsin Regional in Milwaukee and the Minnesota 10,000 Lakes Regional. They shared a bus with FIRST Team 1816 The Green Machine to the Wisconsin Regional. At the Wisconsin Regional they used the entire first day of competition meeting inspection requirements. On the 3rd day their lead driver fell ill and a team member who had no prior experience of driving the robot took over as co-pilot. Herobotics ended the Regional with 3 wins and 5 losses. At the Minnesota 10,000 Lakes Regional, Herobotics won the Regional Engineering Inspiration Award and standed with 2 wins, 5 losses and a tie. Medtronic helped pay for a flight to Atlanta for the FIRST Championship. Herobotics knew they were underdogs in the competition, but they were determined to climb up the ranks and prove themselves. Herobotics competed in the Curie division at the 2009 FIRST Robotics Championship with a record of 2 wins and 5 losses.
2010
BREAKAWAY – Robot Name: H3
2010 was Herobotics’ third year. They competed at the Wisconsin Regional and ranked 38th with a record of 5 wins, 4 Losses, and 1 Tie. The team moved on to compete at the Minnesota 10,000 Lakes Regional and ranked 11th with a record of 6 wins and 4 losses, and won the Regional Engineering Inspiration Award. The team advanced to the FIRST Championship, where they competed on the Galileo Field and the team ranked 69th, with a record of 3 wins and 7 losses.
2011
LOGO MOTION – Robot Name: H4
2011 was Herobotics’ fourth year. This year the team received a newly renovated workshop from Boston Scientific. At the new Duluth Lake Superior Regional, the team placed 7th with a record of 6 wins and 3 losses, and earned the Gracious Professionalism Award. At the Minneapolis 10,000 Lakes Regional, the team placed 62nd, with a record of 1 wins and 8 losses. At this competition, the team won the Regional Chairman’s Award, FIRST’s Highest Honor. The team then went excitedly to St. Louis for the Championship. This was the 20th Season of FRC, and The Black Eyed Peas performed. The team competed in the Archimedes Division, where they placed 77th with a record of 3 wins and 6 Losses.
2012
REBOUND RUMBLE – Robot Name: H5
2012 was Herobotics’ fifth year. This was a year in which the team renewed itself, being mostly comprised of freshmen. For many new team members the Lake Superior Regional was a chance to test themselves and get used to competition. At the Minnesota 10,000 Lakes Regional, the team focused their efforts, took initiative, and tried even harder than before to show the qualities of Herobotics. It resulted with their robot ranking in the top 30 and an Regional Engineering Inspiration Award. The team ended up being ranked 65th on the Curie Field at the FIRST Championship with a record of 2 wins and 7 losses. At the championship, the team earned the Coopertition Award for their division.
2013
ULTIMATE ASCENT – Robot Name: H6
2013 was Herobotics’ sixth year. At the Duluth Northern Lights Regional, the team placed 40th with a record of 3 wins and 7 losses and earned the Imagery Award in Honor of Jack Kamen. The team’s robot placed 9th at the Minnesota 10,000 Lakes regional competition with a record of 6 wins and 2 losses.
2014
AERIAL ASSIST – Robot Name: H7
2014 was Herobotics’ seventh year. This year was considered by many as a re-birth of the original team’s spirit and dedication. The team adopted a theme of “Growing in FIRST” for it’s image and presentations this year, referring to how Herobotics spreads the seeds of change. At the Northern Lights Regional, the team placed 55th with a record of 1 win and 9 losses, and won the Gracious Professionalism Award. At the Minnesota 10,000 Lakes Regional, the team placed 47th with a record of 3 wins, 6 losses, and 1 tie. After a long competition, the team received the Industrial Safety Award, thanks to their safety captain, Ada, and her extensive efforts to promote safety within the team. The team was inspired when they received the Regional Engineering Inspiration Award later in the ceremony, and Team Captain, Emilia Skogen was announced as a FIRST Dean’s List Finalist. The team competed on the Archimedes field at the FIRST Championship, and ranked 54th, with a record of 4 wins, 5 losses, and one tie. This year was the 25th anniversary of the founding of FIRST, and will.i.am performed his edited FIRST Version of his song, Hall of Fame.
2015
RECYCLE RUSH – Robot Name: HERO-8
2015 was Herobotics’ eighth year. This year the team grew to include several new projects and team members. The business sub-team submitted their first ever Entrepreneurship Award submission, and the imagery team created the ever-cool Game of Totes poster. Herobotics adopted a theme of “Make a Ripple” for its image and presentations this year, referring to the ripple effect and how small efforts can make lasting impact. At the Northern Lights Regional, the team placed 22nd with an average qualification score of 50.89. The team was selected to be on an alliance for the playoff matches with teams 4623 and 4624 and ranked 5th after scoring an average of 65.50 points. The team ended the regional with receiving the Regional Engineering Inspiration Award. At the Minnesota 10,000 Lakes Regional, the team worked to support others, including translation for two teams from China. At the end, the team placed 30th with an average qualification score of 50.55. The team ended the regional with receiving their second Regional Engineering Inspiration Award of the season. At the FIRST Championship, the team competed on the Hopper Field, where they placed 73rd, with an average qualification score of 95.2.
2016
FIRST Stronghold – Robot Name: H9
2016 is Herobotics’ ninth year. The team revitalized itself, taking on many new freshman team members following the previous senior leadership’s graduation. This year marked the first time that the team submitted for all four of the awards: The Chairman’s Award, Entrepreneurship Award, Dean’s List Award and the Woodie Flowers Award. This year, the team also expanded its connections with local teams to form the Minneapolis Urban Robotics Alliance (MURA), focused on helping urban robotics teams to be sustainable. The team utilized The Spark of STEM theme to carry forward their team image and presentations this year, in reference to STEM being an energizing and inspiring field to get involved in. At the Northern Lights Regional, the team placed 57th with a record of 2 wins and 6 losses. The team ended the regional with two of their outstanding members being recognized. Mentor David Sylvestre received the Woodie Flowers Finalist Award, and co-captain Jared Voight was selected as a FIRST Dean’s List Finalist. The team went on their first trip to Milwaukee since 2010 for the Wisconsin Regional, where they placed 52nd, with a record of 2 wins and 8 losses. The team also competed in their first off-season event this year, placing 25th at the Minnesota Robotics Invitational with a record of 2 wins and 3 losses.
2017
FIRST Steamworks – Robot Name: H10
2017 was Herobotics’ tenth anniversary. The team continued to thrive toward its goal of impacting urban robotics, by applying for the FIRST STEM Equity Community Innovation Grant. Through the support of their partner the Shingle Creek Neighborhood Association, they were able to receive the grant, and start five FIRST Tech Challenge teams in local schools to support a FIRST pathway in Minneapolis. The team headed down for the first time to Cedar Falls, Iowa for the Iowa Regional competition, and faired pretty well in qualification matches, placing 27th with a record of 5 wins and 4 losses. The team was honored to have their hard-work and Building the Future theme result in the team receiving the Regional Chairman’s Award at this event. The team made some adjustments to their robot and message in preparation for the Minnesota 10,000 Lakes Regional. The team ended up going undefeated in the qualification rounds, seeding 1st with a record of 8 wins. The team selected 2052 and 3026 to be on their alliance. The Orange-Hero-Krawlers competed to the fullest, but were eliminated in the Quarterfinals. The team ended the regional with their imagery sub-team being recognized with the Imagery Award in honor of Jack Kamen. The team went on to compete at the FIRST Championship St. Louis in the Curie division, where they ranked 52nd with a record of 5 wins and 5 losses. The team competed at two offseason events this year, being Finalists at the 2017 Gitchi Gummi Get Together, and Winners at the 2017 Minnesota Robotics Invitational.
2018
FIRST POWER UP – Robot Name: H11
2018 was Herobotics’ eleventh year. The team worked hard to expand their initiatives locally, nationally and internationally this year. The team first petitioned to the school district leadership about dedicated practice space for FRC teams in Minneapolis. Following numerous hours of internal discussions, fundraising efforts, and construction, Minneapolis’ own full-sized FRC practice field, MURA Field, was born. Expanding upon the MURA model, the team also worked to form the American Urban Robotics Alliance (AURA) to support urban team sustainability across the United States. The team finally went on to support former team member and exchange student Kanon to form FIRST Team 6909 SAKURA Tempesta, the third FRC team in Japan. Herobotics was honored to have their global initiatives and “Transforming our World” theme recognized at the inaugural Great Northern Regional where they won the Regional Engineering Inspiration Award. The team ranked 38th in Grand Forks, with a record of 5 wins and 6 losses. The team returned home and competed at the Medtronic Foundation Regional, where they ranked 35th with a record of 5 wins and 4 losses, and won the Judges’ Award. Herobotics went on to compete on the Tesla Field at the new home of the FIRST Championship in Detroit, MI, where they ranked 64th with a record of 2 wins and 8 losses. The team also competed in the Minnesota Robotics Invitational Off-Season in the fall, finishing in 13th with a record of 4 wins and 3 losses.
2019
Destination: Deep Space – Robot Name: H12
2019 was Herobotics’ twelfth year. The team faced its most significant challenges to sustainability this year, having the team’s lead mentor resign due to a family medical emergency, and the team’s equipment be spread across the city due to construction in the high school. The team fought hard to overcome this adversity, adopting the motto of “Keep Moving Forward”, eventually morphing into the team’s theme for the year. The team went on to compete at the second annual Great Northern Regional in Grand Forks, ND, where they ranked 22nd with a record of 5 wins and 5 losses, and won the Judges’ Award. The team made some adjustments to their message and robot, returning home to compete at the Minnesota 10,000 Lakes Regional. They ranked 15th in the competition, with a record of 7 wins, 4 losses and 1 tie, joining 2509 and 5232 in the playoff rounds. They team was honored when they were announced as the recipients of the Regional Chairman’s Award, and kept moving forward to compete at the FIRST Championship in Detroit, MI. There, they competed in the Darwin Division, ranking 50th with a record of 5 wins and 5 losses. The team went on to compete at the Minnesota Robotics Invitational in the off-season, finishing in 15th with a record of 4 wins, 3 losses, and 1 tie.
2020
INFINITE RECHARGE – Robot Name: H13
2020 was Herobotics’ thirteenth year. This year, the team worked tenaciously to build upon the new foundation they created in 2019, adopting the motto of “Building Sustainable Futures” to support this effort. MURA Field received a competition-official practice field this year from a grant through FIRST Upper Midwest and the State of Minnesota. MURA Field served as a model for this grant, which served to create four new practice facilities similar to MURA Field across Minnesota. Following a long and tenacious build season, the team eagerly went on to compete at the Great Northern Regional in Grand Forks, ND. At the regional, the team unfortunately faced several challenges with their robot but were resolute to never give up, determined to have the robot working by their next regional. They finished the regional in Grand Forks in 60th place, with a record of 9 losses. Later that weekend, the team was surprised and honored to be announced as the recipients of the Regional Engineering Inspiration Award, which would send the team to the FIRST Championship in Detroit. Unfortunately, due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, all remaining regional events and the FIRST Championship were canceled only two weeks later, cutting the 2020 season short. A bit later, FIRST decided to announce winners for the submitted awards at all of the cancelled regional events on a livestream in April. There, the team was honored to be awarded their fourth Regional Chairman’s Award at the canceled Minnesota North Star Regional. Despite the outbreak of the pandemic, 2020 turned out to be Herobotics’ most successful year to date and pushed the team to keep going through these uncertain times.
2021
Game Design Challenge
2021 was Herobotics’ fourteenth year. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 FRC Season was completely revised to allow teams to work remotely from home. No regional events were hosted this year, being replaced with an at-home robot skills competition and a game design challenge. Due to being locked out of the school and limited in outreach opportunities as a result of the global circumstances, Herobotics opted to compete in the Game Design Challenge, which tasked teams with designing their own FRC game. Following several weeks of brainstorming, drawing, and writing, the team came up with a game titled FIRST Responders. Based on the real-world disasters happening around the team, FIRST Responders was a game that tasked robots with solving real world disasters, including floods, wildfires, and even a pandemic. The game was designed with FIRST values like Coopertition in mind, involving gameplay elements that required cooperation between robots to succeed. Team members worked hard to develop a presentation about FIRST Responders, including the creation of hand-drawn illustrations, animations and even a 3D model of the game created in Minecraft. Three team representatives were selected to present about FIRST Responders to a remote panel of judges in March, and they were excited to share everything the team had been working on. Later that year in May, Herobotics was announced as a winner of the Concept Award for their judging group, which recognized a team that created an interesting, realistic game concept. This award advanced the team to the next round of judging as one of 90 semi-finalists. While the team did not end up advancing to the finals, they were very proud of everything they had created despite the circumstances this season.
2022
RAPID REACT – Robot Name: H15
2022 is Herobotics’ fifteenth year. With the COVID-19 pandemic starting to come under control, FRC returned to hosting regional events this year with additional precautions in place. Following nearly two years without robotics, the team was eager to get back into the swing of things. Despite this, the team still faced unique challenges this year that tested their tenacity, including a new variant wave of COVID-19 forcing classes online and a teacher strike occurring during the build season. The team adopted a theme of “We’re Better Together” through this adversity, referencing the benefits of teamwork and the various partnerships the team has developed over the years. The team is set to compete at the Minnesota 10,000 Lakes Regional in April.