Robotics

She Empowers STEM:

Since inception, Team Elev8 has been heavily involved in the upliftment of girls in STEM. We have been actively involved with training and mentoring girls, helping them learn about STEM and robotics through our flagship programme, She Empowers STEM.

We started by reaching out to girls across the country, speaking to them about the importance of STEM and what STEM can add to their lives. We were able to encourage many new girls to join our skill-building programmes, helping them learn vital 21st century skills. Then, we brought these girls together to form 4 new all-girls teams for various FIRST competitions including FTC and FGC. Some of these teams comprise of girls from NGOs who have no background in technology or engineering.

Team Elev8 also hosted TrailBlazHER, an all-girls innovation challenge, where girls were encouraged to come up with innovative projects to solve real-world issues. Around 400 girls from across the country participated. We also conducted panel discussions and webinars and webinars with these girls to provide them with their stepping stones into robotics and FIRST.

Moreover, for the past year we have been the regional partners for FIRST Ladies, an organisation geared towards promoting FIRST among girls. As part of this, we have written blog posts that go up on their website and plan to conduct hackathons and design challenges.

In March 2022, when we went to California, for the FRC regional competition, as ambassadors of FIRST Ladies, we helped boost girls' self-esteem by getting each of them to speak about one of their strengths.

We have been able to impact the lives of hundreds of girls across the world and hope to continue to do the same in the future!

Robotics Deconstructed: Through this program we were able to start 9 new FTC/FRC teams. We had 14 student mentors from Team Elev8 teaching the WPI Programming Course, the Java Fundamentals course and the Computer Aided Design (CAD) course. We were pleased to see the enthusiasm of the students and were motivated further by the large number of participants. With over 130 participants in the programming courses and over 90 participants in the CAD course we conducted 230+ sessions. Overall, we were able to reach out to 1000+ parents, mentors and students over 11 webinars!

• WPI deconstructed: Students learned how to create advanced robot control functions using the WPI Software Library.
• Java Fundamentals: We taught students Object Oriented programming in Java, and how to use their skills to make programs with real world applications.
• CAD Deconstructed: We taught the students how to go about using CAD software Fusion 360 to conceptualize, design, implement, and analyse the various parts and mechanisms of industrial grade robots. Starting from scratch, at the end of the course students were able to convert 2D sketches to 3D objects, create joints, apply appearances to models and change their materials, and use simulations to test out designs. Whether students were interested in engineering, biotechnology, automobile design or even computer graphics, CAD allowed them to channel their interests and creativity effectively.

Robotics Deconstructed: Through this program we were able to start 9 new FTC/FRC teams. We had 14 student mentors from Team Elev8 teaching the WPI Programming Course, the Java Fundamentals course and the Computer Aided Design (CAD) course. We were pleased to see the enthusiasm of the students and were motivated further by the large number of participants. With over 130 participants in the programming courses and over 90 participants in the CAD course we conducted 230+ sessions. Overall, we were able to reach out to 1000+ parents, mentors and students over 11 webinars!

1. WPI deconstructed: Students learned how to create advanced robot control functions using the WPI Software Library.

2. Java Fundamentals: We taught students Object Oriented programming in Java, and how to use their skills to make programs with real world applications. It was a very enriching experience, as we got to share our love for programming with aspiring young who were very interested in the subject, and we got to spread knowledge about how to program industrial grade robots and have fun doing it!

3. CAD Deconstructed: We taught the students how to go about using CAD software Fusion 360 to conceptualize, design, implement, and analyse the various parts and mechanisms of industrial grade robots. Starting from scratch, at the end of the course students were able to convert 2D sketches to 3D objects, create joints, apply appearances to models and change their materials, and use simulations to test out designs. Whether students were interested in engineering, biotechnology, automobile design or even computer graphics, CAD allowed them to channel their interests and creativity effectively.

We at Team Elev8 strive to provide equal opportunities to everyone. With inclusiveness at the heart of our outreach model, we started our She Empowers STEM program. We conducted robotics workshops with 80+ girls from grades 5-9 in our school, where we taught them how to program some robots to carry out basic functions such as moving in a straight line, turning, moving along a curved path, etc. using Lego MINDSTORM software.

We started an all-girls FTC team with passionate and highly driven girls to give them the platform that they deserve to showcase their talent and curiosity and to give them the opportunity to try their hand at robotics construction and programming in a competitive setting. Lastly, we also conducted a webinar for under-privileged girls to create awareness about the limitless possibilities that exist for them in the field of STEM and to inspire them to pursue their interests in STEM

The coronavirus has impacted the entire world, but disproportionately so. The worldwide implementation of the lockdown severely affected the education of millions of children around the world, who didn’t have adequate access to technology to continue their studies through an online platform. We decided to train NGO mentors who did have access to technology how to use Fusion 360, a CAD software. We also interacted with students from the NGO Spark A Change, and taught them how they could apply the basic concepts learnt in Fusion 360 to design and model 3D objects - teaching them an essential skill and preparing them for the future.

While multiple students shared a laptop due to limited resources, the experience was a truly memorable one. Not only were they extremely excited to learn, their enthusiasm and quick grasp of the concepts helped re-instill the fact that everyone has the same potential, the opportunity and exposure gained is what makes a difference.

We at Team Elev8 are working towards helping these students prepare to participate in the FIRST Tech Challenge, a global robotics competition, to increase their exposure and give them exciting opportunities.

Date with Elev8 is an ongoing series of webinars where we invited speakers from various backgrounds such as marketing and engineering to, firstly, build skills and more importantly, provide the students with exposure to various relevant fields and subsequently, inspiration. So far, we have hosted Ms. Surbhi Bhatia, CEO of the Mom Store, who spoke to us about social media marketing. And Padhma Vibhushan nuclear physicist Dr. Anil Kakodkar who outlined his experiences in STEM and ruminated about a future steeped in technology.

1. “Block by Block” at DAIS - 17th November 2019

The “Block by Block” was a FLL kickoff event held at Dhirubhai Ambani International School. We effectively achieved our goal of imparting knowledge of FIRST and STEM across 150 children from 15 different schools and 2 NGO’s. The kickoff was successful as we were able to introduce the FLL program within our community. Through this mock competition we were able to teach essential programming and construction skills to children from grades 4-8.

2. “The Launch” at DAIS - 28th October 2018

The Launch was a large scale FLL kickoff organized by Team Elev8 and Team R-Factor at Dhirubhai Ambani International School. Over 200 students attended this event, making it a huge success. Students were guided through ideating a strategy to design a robot. We efficiently raised awareness of various FIRST programs and introduced the First Lego League to children from ages 9-14. The event also exposed them to a hands-on learning method.

3. “The Launch” at Goa - 3rd Novemeber 2018

“The Launch" was a FLL kickoff event we held in Goa, in collaboration with the Goan State Government and the local robotics team. Over 200 children from various schools in Goa participated in this event. This workshop consisted of activities such as building a lego robot and brainstorming on different strategies. The event was attended by the Education Minister of Goa, who was interested in learning more about FIRST programs and its implementation in schools across Goa. The event was made even more successful after one team went ahead to win the Core Values Award at the Western Regionals FLL competition.

4. “Mission Mars” at the American School Bombay - 21st October 2018

Team Pangea and Team Elev8 co-organised a design thinking workshop at the American School Bombay. The mentor of Team Pangea John Kilbane hosted the session, through which we effectively introduced the Deep Space challenge for FLL. We effectively achieved our aim as the students were exposed to challenges and had to come up with innovative and tactical solutions. They built models that reflected their learnings from the session. This was a successful event as the students thoroughly enjoyed the event and we efficiently transmitted essential skills like hands-on learning.

5. “The Launch” in Indonesia at Sinarmas World Academy - 19th -23rd January 2019

We were given the opportunity of holding an outreach event at The Sinarmas World Academy, one of the most renowned schools in Indonesia. “The Launch '' took place at the school campus, where students of grades 4 to 12 participated in a RoboSoccer competition. We witnessed a range of ideas that were advanced and unique. The students gained an enriching experience in the fields of construction and programming. The event was a great success as we were able to raise awareness of FIRST programs amongst all the school teachers. Through the event we were able to explain how FIRST and STEM could be inculcated into the school curriculum.

6. “The Launch” in Jakarta at Creative Kids - 22nd January 2019

1. Aagam 2020 - 11th January

Aagam 2020 was Gujarat`s biggest interschool STEM Based Robotics competition. 69 teams from 30 schools of Gujarat participated in this event. Students were asked to come up with unique & innovative solutions to problems like “Traffic woes free city” & “Energy Efficient City”. Judges were mesmerised to see the 69 working prototpyes at this event. The event was inaugurated by the commissioner of Rajkot & witnessed by more than 500 visitors from across the state. Winners were given robotics kit as a prize for firther DIYing at home. Aagam 2020 saw 50% increase in the participation from Aagam 2018.

2. Acorn foundation - January 25th – March 6th 2020

The Acorn Foundation is a trust that works with the children of rag-pickers in Asia’s largest slums, Dharavi. The aim of this weekly outreach gave students the opportunity to explore robotics and different fields of STEM. At the same time they were exposed to vital skills which could potentially mould their future. This outreach was extremely impactful as we were able to establish a close knit relationship with the children and also provide them with an enriching experience to build Lego robots. It was beneficial for the students as they were able to come up with innovative ideas and use ingenious techniques to make the robot.

3. Girls outreach on women’s day - 8TH March 2019

On women's day we hosted an outreach for girls from grades 1-4 at the Dhirubhai Ambani International School. Our primary goal was to encourage more girls to take part in STEM-related activities, such as robotics, and create a girl-friendly work environment at our school. We introduced them to our robot and different FIRST programs that they could participate in. This event was extremely special to all the girls in our team and helped encourage many more girls to participate in the FIRST programs.

4. National Girl Child Day - 24th January 2019

On 24th January India celebrates National Girl Child Day. Team Elev8 held a girls centric outreach to celebrate this day. The purpose of the outreach was to educate girls about different STEM and FIRST fields as well as peak their interest in robotics. The outreach was held in Dhirubhai Ambani International School with girls of grades 6. The event allowed girls to push the limits and explore robotics as they built Lego robots and solved numerous challenges.

5. Niti Aayog - Febuary 6th 2020

Niti Aayog is a policy think tank started by the Government of India, established to help achieve the sustainable development goals. Here the team met with Mr. Amitabh Kant, Vice Chairman Mr. Rajiv Kumar and MD Mr. Ramanan. The purpose of this outreach was to raise awareness of FIRST programs and brainstorm on how we could incorporate the FIRST program in India. We are looking forward to a future of collaboration with NITI Aayog and Atal Tinkering Labs. This opportunity will pave the path to the FIRST revolution in India.

6. ‘Recycling Thursdays’ - Recycling drive - 16th January 2020 – 4th March 2020

Our team strives to be sustainable and environmentally friendly, for the same reason we have started ‘Recycling Thursdays’. Recycling Thursdays is a drive we conduct on a weekly basis where the team collects different kinds of waste such as paper and e-waste. We have connected with different recycling centres in order to recycle these materials. This initiative has helped us achieve our our aim of being a sustainable team.

7. Teacher training in Goa - 16th Feburary 2019

As part of our collaboration with the Goan government, Team Elev8 hosted a teacher training session using Lego mindstorms in Goa. Our purpose was to expose teachers to robotics so that they could create a sustainable STEM environment and encourage students to take part in FIRST programs. We were able to achieve our aim through the 15+ hours of training as the teachers not only purchased numerous ev3 kits through our team and promised to form many FLL teams.

8. Teacher training in Gujarat - 21st Feburary 2019

The team worked with the Gujarat government to conduct an outreach event in Aravally, Gujarat with over 200 teachers from scheduled tribes. The aim of the outreach was to create a sustainable STEM environment in schools by exposing the teachers to Scratch programming. This event was successful as we were able to encourage technological proficiency in rural areas and reach out to a large number of students through their teachers.

9. Sankalp Shikshan Sanstha - Novemebr 2019 - Feburary 2020

The Sankalp Shikshan Sanstha works with students who have hearing disabilities. Our team visits the institution on a weekly basis where we have introduced them to Robotics and FLL. The team has effectively mentored two Sankalp teams that have participated in the FLL regionals. Our aim here was to expose the students to robotics and break the communication barriers to provide the students with an enriching and extremely beneficial opportunity. The students have come a long way as they have learnt essential values like cooperation and teamwork. Our interaction with them has given them exposure to the various fields in STEM which has helped them explore various paths they can follow in the future.

At Dhirubhai Ambani International School, we have various international students visiting our campus as part of different exchange programs. We used this as an opportunity to educate these students about STEM and FIRST programs. We effectively exposed them to essential skills like hands-on learning by demonstrating our robot and teaching them robot building using lego. Each of these events was highly successful as we were able to encourage many schools and students to explore FIRST programs.

Chinese exchange

German exchange

French exchange

Spanish/czech exchange

1. International sports fest - 17th December 2018

“The Launch” was part of the International Sports fest held at Dhirubhai Ambani International School. We had teams from South Korea, Japan, France, Sri Lanka, Germany, Oman, UAE, Kenya and UK attend this event. Over 150 students attended this FLL Kickoff. The purpose of the event was to raise FIRST awareness globally through our interaction with students and teachers from across the world. The event served as a great introduction to STEM and all the FIRST programs. The students were able to experience an enriching session of robot building.

2. Robotics Association of Nepal - 25th -26th January 2020

Two students and a mentor from team elev8 travelled to Kathmandu to teach robotics at the Robotics Association of Nepal. Through this two day event we encouraged many students to participate in STEM activities and FIRST programs. Our purpose was to introduce the various FIRST programs within the community and also help the authorities form different kinds of FIRST teams. The event turned out to be a great success as we were able to hold an extensive hands-on session with 37 students across 7 different schools in Kathmandu.

1. Aditya Birla World Academy - 18th Feburary 2020

Aditya Birla World Academy (ABWA) is a school for ages 4-18, situated in Mumbai. Here we interacted with the students who are part of the school’s STEM club. The purpose of this outreach was to help and guide the school towards starting their own FRC team. We spoke to them about the competition, the technical and non-technical skills involved, the challenges faced by a Rookie team and how one can overcome said challenges. It was an extremely productive and enriching experience. We hope to help them through their journey in the FIRST Robotics Competition and see them at the regionals next year.

2. National Public School – Singapore - November 2019

Mentors from our team visited The National Public School in Singapore. Here they made a presentation which explained what FIRST and FRC is, the essentials of a FRC team. We spoke with the teachers, students and parents of the team. After which they formed their FRC Team 8235 Beyond the Flames from Singapore. We have been in touch with the team and helped them out with any challenges they have faced.

1. Online classes with Rookie Teams - January – Feburary 2020

As a veteran team we used online platforms like Skype to conduct lessons and provide comprehensive mentorship to rookie teams from Istanbul and Turkey. We helped both these teams out with the difficulties they were facing and suggested effective solutions. We helped these teams with programming and construction related doubts and the session lasted about half an hour. This meeting was very enriching and allowed us to interact with members of other Rookie Teams from around the world and help them out with problems we were facing ourselves last year.

2. Mentoring First Teams

Team Elev8 believes in helping out and mentoring FIRST teams through their journey. During our last season we mentored 8 FLL teams, 5 Junior FLL teams, and 2 FTC teams. This experience was enriching for our team and the other teams as we were able to interact and communicate with students from different backgrounds.

To take this initiative forward this season we have mentored 6 Junior FLL teams - Team Alpha City, Team City Ninjas, Team Town Titans, Team Town Champions (8th place), Team Little Rockers, Team Kaboom (4th place) . we have mentored 7 FLL teams - Team City Initiators (3rd place championship), Team Green Vitality (10th place championship, Team Urban Wizards (6th place championship), Team Shadow Engineers, Team City decoders, and Team City Masters. Apart from this we have mentored 2 FTC teams across India. Amongst these FLL teams we had 2 teams that we mentored on a weekly basis from the Sankalp Shikshan Sanstha, a school for the hearing impaired. Whether one is a mentor or a student, these sessions acted as eye-openers for all of us as we learnt so much from each team’s core values.

3. Sharing Resources

Through the course of this season Team Elev8 has bonded with Team Pangea from the American School of Bombay by sharing a wide range of our resources such as batteries which functions as the main working mechanism for the robot and manpower as a majority of the students from Team Elev8 help and guide them through the whole process of making the robot.

4. Online manuals - 2019-2020

Our team strives to provide a plethora of resources regarding FIRST competitions for the benefit of others. One of which is in the form of several online manuals we have made available to download at 'team7539.com'. These include manuals to assist FLL mentors, manuals for rookie FRC teams written using our own experiences as a 2019 rookie team and a manual regarding the often confusing changes that have been made in the WPI library. We hoped to help many Rookie teams strive towards excellence and overcome any challenges

5. Assistance to FIRST teams

We have assisted 8 FLL Jr. teams – Team S Cube (10th place), Team Brick Builders, Team Architects, Team Dexter’s Downtown, Team Diamond Town, Team Scara Tech, Team Tapi Town, Team Step of Town.

We have assisted and started 1 FTC team - Blue Blizzards, from Rajkot in Gujarat (Winning Alliance First Team and Motivate Award)

6. Starting FIRST teams

We have started and mentored a FLL team - Team Bot Busters, who won the 4th place championship and are now going to. They were a part of our FLL kickoff at the Dhirubhai Ambani International School this season, and were inspired to participate themselves.

1. FLL National Northern and Western Championship - 13th January 2019

Team Elev8 organized the FLL National Northern and Western Region Championship. During this event, we interacted with FLL teams, provided effective infrastructure to conduct the competition and raised awareness about other FIRST programs. Overall, this event was an incredible success.

2. FTC National Championship - 24th-25th February 2019

The 2019 FTC National Championships took place in Balevadi, Pune. We were associate sponsors and our goal at the event was to spread awareness of Team Elev8 and inspire others at the event, so as to develop and broaden the horizons of the FIRST community in India. We effectively achieved our aim as we were able to reach out to numerous teams.

3. FLL Western India National Championship - 18th – 19th January 2020

FLL stands for the FIRST Lego League, a robotics competition wherein children use LEGO bricks to build a robot that can complete the provided challenge. It imbibes the skills and values of STEM at an early stage in a way that is familiar to the child. Our team was responsible for sponsoring various teams at the regionals and nationals that won in our FLL kickoffs. Moreover, we advertised FLL and distributed digital flyers to increase awareness and interest in FLL and ensure that more teams participated in the kickoffs and subsequently, the regionals/nationals. A team of 6 students, called Bot Busters, that had participated and won in a kickoff event was mentored by us and won the Best Project Presentation and Outreach Award. They placed 4th in the FLL Western India Championships and will now represent India in Russia, at an international scale. So, our FLL outreach can and has thrusted others in our community to new heights in the field of robotics.

4. FTC National Championship - 31st - 2nd February 2020

FTC is the First Tech Challenge, a robotics competition similar to FRC with smaller bots and a relatively simpler challenge. Team Elev8 mentored FTC Team Sigma. We were responsible for guiding them through their process of writing the robot code and conducting outreach events. As they were a rookie team, they required our mentorship and we were proactive in our assistance to ensure that they were well-equipped to participate in the competition. They eventually won the Control Award and were part of the runner-up alliance in the FTC Western India Championships.

1. Infosys award ceremony - 5th January 2019

The Infosys Prize Ceremony is an event organized by the Infosys Science Foundation to award those who have made excellent contributions in the fields of science and research. Members from Team Elev8 visited this ceremony with the intention to promote the ideals of FIRST. We were given the honor to meet Nobel Laureate Professor Amartya Sen, Narayana Murthy, Professor R Brandon Fradd, Professor Kavita Singh and Manjul Bhargava. The experience was extremely enriching for all Team Elev8 members since they got to meet nationally renowned changemakers.

2. Infosys award ceremony - 7th January 2020

The Infosys Prize Ceremony is an event organized by the Infosys Science Foundation to award those who have made excellent contributions in the fields of science and research. Team Elev8 had the privilege of being invited to attend the ceremony in Bengaluru. We went in with the aim to promote FIRST and Team Elev8. We were given the honor to meet Nobel Laureate Professor Amartya Sen, Narayana Murthy, Professor Anand Pandian, Professor Siddhartha Mishra and Manjula Reddy. Our team effectively spread the message of Team Elev8 and our journey. The experience was also extremely inspiring and enlightening for many students as they were able to interact with their role models.

3. Interactions with Influencers

Ajay Tyagi is the Chairman of Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI)

Ashish Chauhan is the CEO of the Bombay Stock Exchange

S S Mundhra is a Retired Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India.

S Ravi is the Chairman of the Bombay Stock Exchange

Hrithik Roshan is a famous Indian actor who has appeared in many Bollywood movies.

Arnab Goswami is an Indian journalist and one of the leading news reporters in the country.

Suresh Prabhu is an Indian politician and the former Minister of Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation.

Shiv Khera is an activist, Indian author and motivational speaker.

Sorabh Pant is an Indian writer and stand-up comedian.

Shaktikanta Das is the Governor of The Reserve Bank of India.

Sandeep Khuperkar is the Regional Mentor of Change for Niti Aayog.