You may have heard of the robotics team at WVHS. If you’ve heard it’s insane, it’s true. 

FRC Team 1425, Error Code Xero, builds robots. The robots weigh over 100lbs and speed around at 3 meters per second. 

Robots perform complex tasks such as autonomously climbing bars of varied levels, shooting 9-inch-diameter tennis balls into a central target, and driving preset paths with great accuracy. 

This is my fourth year on the team, and I am currently the Integration Lead, which means I plan and coordinate the efforts of high school students who design, manufacture, assemble, wire, code, test, and drive the robot! 

Many students join the team barely knowing what a plier is (Who, me? Guilty as charged!), and come out with more hands-on expertise than 4 years in a classroom could ever give you. 

We apply what we learn in classes to the robot. Geometry and trigonometry to design the robot; physics to explain the velocity and acceleration of a robot’s autonomous path; calculus to explain control algorithms such as PID. 

Sophomore Aasha Patel, Design Subteam Lead, says “The most important skill [she has] learned is parametric modeling: In order to have a good design, you have to account for factors like project constraints, electrical components, and machinability.” You can learn a lot from attending even a few meetings.

If you like money more than robots, you can work with our business subteam to raise over 80K in a year. Create graphics and edit videos that represent our team!

Join the team to make friends, or to get hands-on experience with world-class robots. According to sophomore Lily Vu, Electrical Subteam Lead, “Joining robotics is one of the best decisions [she has] made during [her] high school career. Robotics continues to provide learning and exciting opportunities for anyone who is willing to put time and effort as a person, leader, and engineer.” 

Sustained membership and commitment allows for both technical and managerial leadership opportunities! Aasha mentioned, “[She’s] learned skills from experienced mentors and then was able to apply them in an environment that’s as close as it gets to the real-world industry.”

Our team is fortunate to have many dedicated mentors, who work in the industry and individually teach robotics students with their great expertise. Lily says, “They have taught me technical, teamwork, and leadership skills. I am proud to be a member of 1425 Error Code Xero.” 

Our team is turning 19 years old this year. As a seasoned team, we are lucky to host competitions during the competition season (usually in early or mid-March) as well as in the offseason (Girls’ Gen in October) at WVHS. Sophomore Rubi Martin, Software Subteam Lead, notes, “The constant energy and team spirit coming from the stands makes the whole event super exciting. There’s really never a boring moment.”

Interested in joining Team 1425? No experience necessary! Come by and join us in the Wilsonville High School cafeteria: We’ll give you a tour of the subteams, the shed, and most importantly, our robots! But don’t lose sight: While we’re physically building robots, we’re truly building people. Engineers, innovators, leaders: successful people.

The next competition hosted by Error Code Xero is on Saturday October 15 2022, “Girls’ Gen.” The one after that is March 9th through 11th 2023. Visit our website at https://www.wilsonvillerobotics.com/ or email [email protected] for more information on upcoming meeting dates and times.