Cryptic Cyborgs

The Cryptic Cyborgs Robotic Team consists of high school students, in grades 9-12, from the five county area; currently, there are twelve local school districts represented in the Cryptic Cyborgs team.  We have been a team, officially, for the last seven years and are looking forward to our eighth FRC Season.

A few times each week, we meet at Northwest State Community College.  Whether our team members live 5 minutes away or 45 minutes, we all get together and meet to work on our shared love: robots.  Together, we develop code, learn carpentry, or eat hot dogs.  There's always something new, and always something to do.

The Cryptic Cyborgs design and build a large autonomous robot to compete in the FIRST Robotics Competition. The season started January 2023 and runs through May 2023. We also have a number of summer “off season” activities planned.

Throughout the season, students learn a variety of skills.  Everyone has a chance to do something new, and whether its during our weekly meetings or a sponsorship presentation, these skills are honed and more opportunities are presented.  Physical skills are developed, such as programming, electrical and mechanical engineering, business functions, accounting, web design, and marketing.  Social skills include flexibility and adaptability, leadership and public speaking, how to encourage others, and proper communication.

FRC stands for FIRST® Robotics Competition.  FRC is a worldwide competition for students in grades 9-12.  Starting at Kickoff, students build robots - not battle bots, but as large as 125 pound, 6 foot tall robots -  to complete certain objectives.  The Official description from FIRST is below.

Under strict rules and limited time and resources, teams of high school students are challenged to build industrial-size robots to play a difficult field game in alliance with other teams, while also fundraising to meet their goals, designing a team “brand,” and advancing respect and appreciation for STEM within the local community.

For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology - in other words, it is a global robotics community preparing young people for the future.  From Pre-K to 8th grade and from 9th to 12th, their programs are widespread and widely available.  In fact, 679K+ students participated in the 2019-2020 season - and FIRST is active in more than 109 countries worldwide.

FIRST inspires young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.