Rippling into the 2026-7 Season
Nate ‘27 and Danesh ‘29 carrying our robot, Pufferfish, off of the field after a thrilling round at the New England Robotics Derby (NERD).
We’re Back!
After a restful summer, the Lobstah Bots have been hard at work this off-season: recruiting and training new members, competing in offseason competitons, and more!
Under the expert organization of Captain Sharon Xiong ‘27, each subteam—Fabrication, led by Eliana Mirkis ‘28; Design, led by Teddy Shi ‘27; Electrical, led by Coco Shen ‘27; Software, led by Daniel David ‘27; Strategy, led by Eddie Zeng ‘27; and Business & Media, led by Hana Kaneko ‘27—crafted ‘crash courses’ for these weeks leading up to season kick-off (January). Fabrication training has been most active in the lab, as Lobstahs learn to safely use the tools in our lab: the chop saw, drills, band saw, and more. The subteam with the most new members, Design, has been covering the fundamentals of 3D composition: sketches, extrudes, constraints, and more on Onshape. In addition, in preparation for off-season competitions, returning members have shared their experiences for our rookies to learn more about roles, get a refresher on last season’s game rules, and learn about the general flow of the competition.
Athena ‘30, Keekee ‘30, Evie ‘28, Sabina ‘27, Sophia B. ‘30, Sophia L. ‘30, Coco ‘27, and mentor Veronica huddle by the pits to discuss strategy.
New England Robotics Derby (NERD)
The Losbtahs began the journey of their first off-season competition in the qualifying rounds of NERD: the drive team fought five matches, with different allying teams each time. With Eliana ‘28 running robot repairs in the pit, Eddie ‘27 organizing scouting and strategy in the stands, and rookie members trying out different roles on the Drive Team, the team pushed through these rounds and took us all the way to elimination play-offs! On the field, newer drivers included Nate ‘27, Evie ‘28, Danesh ‘29, Athena ‘30, Sophia Li ‘30, and Sophia Bean ‘30, as they took turns operating the robot and being our “human player” in matches to feed game pieces. Thanks to the teamwork and skill displayed throughout these matches, the Lobstah Bots were selected to join the 2nd Alliance (chosen by the team that placed 2nd in all of the qualifying matches).
Although crisis struck when a main part of the robot’s intake, necessary to pick up the game pieces on the field, cracked in half during our match, the pit crew sprung into action: cutting and drilling new pieces of plastic to enable the robot to compete in the rest of the matches. All in all, after battling numerous rounds, the elimination rounds culminated in a stressful tiebreaker and Alliance 2 ended as Finalists of NERD!
Robot repairs by Eliana ‘28 and Daniel ‘27.
Pufferfish ‘26 on the field at NERD, preparing to score points by the shooter.
Upcoming: BU Crowdfunding
As the Lobstahs prepare for the 2026-7 FRC Season, we’re also gearing up to our annual crowdfunding campaign! In past years, we’ve used Boston University’s Crowdfunding platform, and the Lobstah community has helped us pull off campaigns rivalling BU’s top sports teams and clubs. With your donations, we’re able to cover competition registration, buy new robot parts, and pay for transportation, food, and lodging—this way, any interested student from BU Academy and Match Charter School can join the Lobstah Bots without financial barriers. Thank you to all that have been able to support us in the past; our performance in competitions and off-season events like NERD wouldn’t be possible without you!
This campaign will open within the first couple weeks of November—please stay tuned for more information!
Athena ‘30 (Left) and Sophia L. ‘30 (Right) forming a connection via Lobstah headbands.
Thank you again for all your support! If you are interested in being more involved or have any questions, please feel free to reach out at lobstahbots@gmail.com and we would be happy to respond!
Sincerely,
The Lobstah Bots
P.S. Want to stay up-to-date in between our newsletter? Check out our official team Instagram (@burobotics246)!
