Mechanical Mastermind's Robot for the DECODE. One of the most ambitious rookie robots.
During the 2025-2026 DECODE FIRST Tech Challenge season I was team lead for FTC team 30329 Mechanical Masterminds. While having rookie members, our team was one of the most ambitious yet. Our robot design consisted of a custom aluminum Parallel Plate Drivetrain. In coding we implemented LUT for velocity and regression and used pathing libraries, something very uncommon for first year teams.
Beyond the robot itself, we launched Build & Brighten Around The World — a program designed to help kids in hospitals get access to STEM. Through this initiative we brought robotics and engineering education to young patients, giving them hands-on experiences with technology during their time in medical care.
As team lead I worked on all business aspects, including registration, finance management, and task management. During the season I was able to get us $4,625 in team sponsorship money. On the software side of things I worked on making our robot as fast and high scoring as possible. To do this I implemented PID controllers to control all of our motors. In addition, we used Pedro Pathing, a unique Bezier Line follower. I helped as a beta tester for Pedro Pathing. Other than software we also hosted several STEM Nights and STEM classes to get more students into STEM. We also reached out to professionals at JHU APL to learn more about how they use robotics in their day-to-day life, and they helped us learn soldering.
Built PID controllers from scratch in Java, learning how proportional, integral, and derivative terms work together to smooth motor control. Also implemented LUT-based velocity curves and regression models for consistent speed.
Integrated Pedro Pathing, a Bezier curve-based autonomous path follower — rare for rookie teams. Served as a beta tester, which taught me how to contribute meaningfully to open-source robotics libraries.
Managed registration, finances, and task delegation for the entire team. Secured $4,625 in sponsorships by writing outreach emails and presenting our mission to companies in the community.
Designed our custom aluminum parallel plate drivetrain and learned soldering through hands-on sessions with engineers from JHU APL. Worked with REV hardware and dead-wheel odometry systems for precise positioning.
Organized STEM Nights, classroom sessions, and the Build & Brighten Around The World hospital program. Realized that engineering is most powerful when it creates access for others who wouldn't otherwise have it.
Navigated the challenges of leading a rookie team through a full competition season — from hardware failures to last-minute code changes. Learned that composure and adaptability matter as much as technical skill.
A breakdown of everything that powers Megatron — from languages and libraries to hardware and process.
Our full engineering portfolio documents Megatron's design process, build journey, and season outcomes — from initial concepts to competition-ready hardware.
Full robot build — Megatron ready for competition
Drive team at competition
Working on the robot. Shriya my teammate in the background.
Autonomous run — Megatron executing Pedro Pathing during auto period
Full match footage — Chesapeake Championship