The Hitchhikers

Team 2059, The Hitchhikers Robotics group, strives to build competitive robots, and spread the impact of STEM throughout our community by helping high school aged students gain vital knowledge about Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, and Project Management.

The Hitchhikers were founded in 2010 and have since produced one of the most successful robotics teams in North Carolina.

Playing in the FIRST Robotics Competition, The Hitchhikers have helped countless children gain a foothold in STEM education and have promoted sponsors on a world stage in front of thousands of viewers.

What is first?

FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen. Based in Manchester, NH, the 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity works to develop ways to inspire students in engineering and technology fields.

FIRST’s mission is to “inspire young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.”

Learn more about FIRST

2023 Robot Overview

Learn More

Name

Lunkwill

Season

2023

Game

Charged Up

Drivetrain

Swerve

After years of debate, The Hitchhikers have finally acquired the famed Swerve-Drive drivetrain. We procured four MK4i swerve drive modules during the off-season and spent time getting the software and controls working.

Once the 2023 challenge was announced, the team is excited and hoping the swerve drives give us an advantage.

Our robot has an extendable arm, made with a Thrifty-Bot kit, which manipulates our end factor: a pneumatic, scissor action gripper.  The arm’s extention is operated by a winch, which is powered by a V1.0 Brushless Neo motor, attached to a 90° mount. We had several love-hate moments with the arm due to the thin/soft metal.

Team Blog

Keep up to date with what the team is doing by checking out our blog posts below. For more posts or older posts, check out our archive or click the button below.

2023 Season – NC District Championship

Apr 2, 2023

We had a lot of fun at the state championship. We were chosen in the 5th alliance, with Team 900, The Zebracorns, and Team 5518, Technowolves. Sadly, we got eliminated in Round 2 after a robot had a CAN error. We lost by 8 points after another robot hit us and we...

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