A FIRST Robotics Portfolio is an essential document for teams participating in FIRST Robotics competitions. It highlights your team’s journey, how you built your robot, and what you learned along the way. This portfolio helps judges understand your project, teamwork, and problem-solving process. All this means that it is a very important part of starting a robotic project. Therefore it is also very important to know what this is all about and how it is written.
In this article, we will discuss what makes a great portfolio and provide an example that you can use as a guide.
What is a FIRST Robotics Portfolio?
A FIRST Robotics Portfolio is a summary of your team’s work and achievements. Because, it tells your story in a clear and organized way. Judges want to see how your team planned, designed, built, and tested your robot. They also want to know about the challenges you faced and how you overcame them.
Structure of First robotics Portfolio?
A well-structured portfolio typically includes the following sections that we will learn with the help of examples.
- Team Introduction
- Project Description
- Engineering Design Process
- Team Roles and Responsibilities
- Challenges and Solutions
- Community Impact
Let’s look at a detailed example to understand how to organize and present this information.
Example: FIRST Robotics Portfolio
Team Introduction
Team Name: RoboStars
Season: 2025 FIRST Robotics Competition
Mission: To explore robotics and solve real-world problems through teamwork and innovation.
“We are RoboStars, a team of 12 students from Springfield High School. Our mission is to build robots that can solve practical problems and inspire others to join STEM activities. This is our third year in the FIRST Robotics competition. Every season, we aim to improve our skills and learn something new.”
Project Description
“Our 2025 project focuses on designing a robot that helps organize and sort small items in a storage facility. The robot can pick up objects and place them on designated shelves. The goal was to create a fast, reliable, and user-friendly solution for small warehouses.”
Engineering Design Process
Step 1: Brainstorming and Planning
“Our first step was to identify the problem. We needed a robot that could move quickly and accurately place items on shelves. We brainstormed different designs and created sketches of possible solutions.”
Step 2: Prototyping and Testing
“Next, we built a prototype using 3D-printed parts. The first prototype had stability issues, so we redesigned the robot’s frame to improve balance. We also tested different motors for the arm to ensure smooth movement.”
Step 3: Final Design and Build
“After several tests and improvements, we built the final version of our robot. The new design included a triangular frame for stability and a rubber-grip arm for better handling of objects. We programmed the robot to follow specific paths using sensor-based navigation.”
Team Roles and Responsibilities
Each team member contributed to the success of the project. Here’s how the roles were divided:
- Lead Programmer (Alex): Developed the code to control the robot’s movement and sensors.
- Design Engineer (Emma): Created 3D models and led the prototyping process.
- Electrical Engineer (Liam): Assembled and tested the robot’s electrical components.
- Project Manager (Sophia): Organized tasks and ensured that the project stayed on schedule.
Challenges and Solutions
“We faced several challenges throughout the project. One of the biggest issues was ensuring that the robot could grip objects securely without dropping them. After multiple tests, we found that a rubber grip improved performance. Another challenge was programming the robot to detect and avoid obstacles. We adjusted the sensor placement and updated the code to make navigation smoother.”
Community Impact
“Our team believes in sharing what we learn with others. This year, we organized two workshops for younger students at Springfield Elementary School. We taught them basic robotics and coding skills. We also mentored a rookie FIRST Robotics team in our community, helping them prepare for their first competition.”
If you want me to give you more samples for this topics let me know in the comment.