AutoPilots Begin Prep for 2026 Competition

Although the DLS Robotics Team, the AutoPilots @AutoPilots7762 won their second district event in late March, the team fell short of having enough points to qualify for the state competition. 

According to the team’s moderator, DLS Science and Robotics teacher Mr. Rob Black, the drive team and pit crew kept the robot together and “played some fabulous defense in the elimination matches to help our alliance win the entire event.” 

Mr. Black said that senior Joey Brannigan, the AutoPilots’ captain, “drove” the robot. “He really did control the robot for the past two seasons and has gained a reputation among teams from other schools as one of the best.”

Junior Aidan Elher, who has been a member of the Robotics team since his freshman year, said, “If it weren’t for Joey, we wouldn’t have that blue banner.” 

Mr. Black said the team finished in the upper third of the 550 teams competing across the state. 

He also praised the team. “The kids worked hard and spent a lot of time and energy. This was a tremendous victory after all the energy to put the robot together.” 

Aidan was part of the CAD (Computer Aided Design) team. “I was everywhere,” he said. “I was helping the new kids and using the CNC machine.” 

Aidan explained that the CNC machine is the opposite of a 3D printer. “You program the machine to cut what material you put on the machine plate, either plastic or metal. A lot of teams have them.”

He also said, “A lot of the kids are stepping up. There is a tremendous amount of knowledge that goes into building the robots. We weren’t able to test as much prior to competition. We can use the offseason to teach kids the different components of programming and building so we will be ready for 2026.”

Mr. Black also cited junior Curtis Yaek who was in charge of the build. 

“This wasn’t how we wanted it to end,” Curtis said. “But this was informative for our team. Now we know how we need to plan for the season and how to approach the various tasks.I enjoyed taking charge of the build team and experimenting with different prototypes.” 

In addition to moderating the Robotics team, Mr. Black also teaches a Robotics class.