Even as their workload slows down, the construction of their robots finish, and the constant late nights finally come to an end, the two robotics teams are still busy in many other ways. Their lectures emanate from a room full of impressionable, new freshmen and those hoping to increase their knowledge, and preparations are already underway for new or expanded programs, such as summer camps or their “Go Baby Go” program.
As the robotics season comes to a close, the original Ghost Robotics Team (est. 2009) and the recently formed Phantom Robotics Team (est. 2023) have each won many awards and qualifications, and with exciting opportunities on the horizon, optimism is at an all-time high.
The Phantom Robotics Team was made to accommodate for an overflow of the maximum number of robotics team members on the Ghost Robotics Team. Oftentimes, the Ghost Robotics Team is seen as more competitive, but that is not necessarily the case. Both teams appeared in a Westford select board meeting on March 11, presenting their respective robotics competition accomplishments.
The Ghost Robotics Team qualified for the state-wide robotics competition, an honor reserved for only 2 out of 27 teams that compete in the FIRST Tech Challenge — a competition between teams to achieve specific objectives both with and without people controlling the robot. They have also won regional awards, including the Inspire Award, which is given to the best overall team across all categories for their creativity, innovation, and team contributions. The Ghosts Robotics Team had not won this award in nine years until their victory in 2025.
The team even tried their hand at hosting a competition this season, turning WA into a robotics qualifying site by setting up the robotics grounds and preparing refreshments and a team of volunteers to organize the event when another host had to cancel at the last minute. This allowed other teams to still have an opportunity to qualify for tournaments.
These experiences have opened opportunities for both clubs by allowing them to host future events while also allowing them to improve their overall knowledge and expertise in robotics.
Phantom Robotics, despite being a relatively new team, has had their fair share of achievements as well. After being formed last year, the Phantom team has already won its first-ever competition award: the Control Award.
“[It] was a pretty big milestone for them […] Winning an award is always a pretty good accomplishment,” senior Ghost Robotics co-captain Irith Midha said.
To the robotics captains, their growth was no one-off accomplishment. Instead, it was a culmination of all the hard work and dedication that the teams have put into robotics.
“[The Phantom Team last year] had a very basic robot, which basically just pushed game elements. This year, they had enough time and skills to actually design a robot in CAD (Computer-Aided Design) [and] fabricate those designs,” junior Ghost Robotics Team co-captain Pranav Khurana said.
After the teams’ exciting achievements, both are eager to plan for the next robotics season. One thing that the Ghost Robotics Team wants to focus on is doing more community outreach.
“In the past years, the team has been very robot-focused, but some things that we’ve stepped up in the past couple of years are outreach [to the general public]. It’s not just about the robot; it’s also about the community engagement,” Midha said.
To increase their community involvement, the Ghost Robotics Team plans on adding to their three successful summer camps, each teaching elementary and middle school children different elements of robotics.
Furthermore, expansions to their “Go Baby Go” program are impending. Helping children with mobile disabilities has been their overarching goal through designing custom mini-cars. Mini-cars are designed for children to drive around in their driveways or parks. Children with mobile disabilities aren’t always able to effectively control regular mini-cars, whether it be due to difficulties involving the steering wheel or pedals, and the robotics team hopes that their modifications will provide them with a better experience and accessibility.
“We love participating in opportunities like [the “Go Baby Go” program], as it really gives [Ghost Robotics Team] a chance to shine and show our robotics expertise and something that’s more than just our competition, [to] the community around us. […] So [we] feel like it’s good for the future of our club,” sophomore Phantom Robotics Team member Omkar Navuvala said.
