Arrowbotics Updates: REBUILT!

By Mia Hanuska and Kathryn Tanaka

New year, new robotics challenge! On January 10, 2026, Westmont’s robotics team, 3482 Arrowbotics, started working on their new robot for the 2026 season. Named REBUILT, the season is themed around combining past games’ elements with new, refreshed elements. This year, the team will be competing at two California District competitions, Sacramento and Contra Costa, in March and April, respectively. With a mere 8 weeks to design, test, and code a robot, Arrowbotics has begun digging early and is working tirelessly on their robot. While it’s only been a month into the new season, the team has hit the ground running. Here’s what they’ve been up to!

Quick Offseason Recap

The team had many exciting accomplishments this offseason! Gaining a record number of members, Arrowbotics now consists of over 50 students. In workshops taught by Arrowbotics board members, both new and returning students improved their CAD, mechanical, software, and electrical skills. 

3482 also attended the Capital City Classic (CCC) offseason competition in October, where they ranked 21 out of 55. Their offseason robot, EURYBIA, performed fairly well, and the team gained invaluable experience. Learning important lessons in design, time management, and accuracy, Arrowbotics is ready to apply these skills for this new season.  

The Game: REBUILT

January 10th marked the exciting beginning of our onseason! The objective is to score 6” yellow foam balls (FUEL) into a large central “basket”-esk structure (See picture below) called the HUB. During the beginning and end of matches, there is also the opportunity to climb and hang on a ladder-like structure called the TOWER. There are a lot more details, both retro and new, found in the announcement video, and the team is excited to see where the challenge takes them. 

Pictured left to right: HUB, TOWER

January 10–15

Each division was hard at work in the first week, scouring the Game Manual and various online resources for ideas. 

• Mechanical started building the Kitbot—a robot with incredibly basic functionalities—and the field elements (pictured above) for testing on the field later this season. 
• CAD began designing multiple rough assemblies and prototypes, which were then given to mechanical to assemble for testing. 
• Software dug into EURYBIA’s code and continued workshops from the offseason. 
• Electrical started fixing loose battery terminals and wiring the new batteries for this season.
• Media began merch designs and made many TikToks and Instagram Reels which can be found on the team’s social medias @team3482!

January 20–23

Arrowbotics spent this week focusing on testing and prototyping different designs and working on the Kitbot!

• Mechanical built the shooter and intake of the Kitbot, and started transforming the tank drive drivetrain into swerve. They also tested the two prototypes and reported their findings to CAD for changes. 
• CAD continued working on the design, and finished an intake prototype. Chassis was finalized and is ready for manufacturing!
• Electrical built a test board for the prototypes and crimped old Kraken X60s to prepare them for the season.
• Media started their designs for onseason merch themed around the archeology idea of FIRST: NEW AGE.

January 26–30

With the CAD deadline fast approaching, the team mainly focused on design and Kitbot. The robot is ready to move into the manufacturing and ordering parts stage now!

• Mechanical tested the Kitbot shooter and scored some of the team’s first points of the season into the HUB. They also started disassembling EURYBIA to repurpose her parts for the onseason robot.
• CAD worked tirelessly on the designs, finalizing each subsystem and tweaking the details until they were just right. 
• Electrical wired the Kitbot chassis and prepared it for the shooter.