-ANY-BKGRND-LARGE-Horizontal.png){kind=small}
Team Program and Summary
The Kinematic Wolves Robotics team was founded in Fall 2014 to introduce students to the world of STEM and problem-solving. We have excelled in robotics competitions since our inception, winning awards and achieving recognition for our commitment to science and technology. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we continued our outreach efforts and were honored with prestigious awards. The team has grown over the years, consisting of 12 students and 8 mentors from Detroit Cristo Rey High School, with mentorship from professionals in companies like General Motors and VRSI. We continually push ourselves to excel in competitions, focusing on developing engineering skills and a strong STEM mindset among our members while setting high standards for their performance.
Summary of Team Growth
The Kinematic Wolves Robotics team has significantly increased the engineering spirit within the Cristo Rey community. We set a high standard ourselves by winning the Rookie All-Star Award in our first competition. This growth allows us to inspire more students to engage in FIRST, engineering, and business.
Many of our alumni work for companies like General Motors, DTE, Magna International, and FANUC Robotics, contributing to the team's ongoing success and support. We've extended STEM education by creating an FTC team at the neighboring grade school called the "Techno Lions."
The team has collaborated with other robotics teams to establish the Motor City Alliance (MCA), a non-profit organization that aids over 100+ FIRST teams in Detroit, fostering collaboration and competitiveness among local teams.
Organizational Structure
The Kinematic Wolves operate our team as a small business divided into three main groups: mechanical,
robotic communications (controls/programming), and business. The group continues to encourage younger students to research and discover their passion. This allows for the team's sustainability as new members develop skills each year that enhance their experience and provide our partners with a valuable return on their environment as the students progress.
To correctly manage our team and our advancement of STEM, we need to be organized. This means
clearly defining each individual’s role within our team. Not to say that one may not participate in another
group, but assigning a role within the team allows for easier communication and a further understanding
of how our team works together to build a robot in 6 weeks. New members are given the opportunity to
learn about each group during the off-season, leading them toward which group
they are interested in working with during the season. As the student’s understanding of the group expands, they transition over to helping to recruit new members of the team.