Canton Robotics Cooperative

N.E.R.D. Bots
(Nuclear Explosive Rubber Duckies)
Team# 14353 | East Middle School, Plymouth, Michigan


Thank you for your interest in the NERD Bots Robotics Team! We appreciate the time you have taken to learn more about our program.


The N.E.R.D Bots Robotics Team exists to encourage the development of students’ interests in the areas of math and science. By doing so, the program prepares young minds to work and thrive in our increasingly technological world and global economy. 


The team participates in a competition held by FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a program developed in 1989 in order to inspire more interest in the fields of science and technology. In this competition, our team designs, programs, and builds a robot that performs an annually assigned task – all in the span of eight weeks. 


In 2019-2020, our team #14353, competed in three competitions. During these events, teams are competing for both robot performance awards and judged awards.  


Our first competition was the Canton Qualifier on November 9, 2019.  We made it to alliance selection as the #4 alliance captain. Our alliance advanced all the way to the finals round for robot performance, but sadly lost.  However, our team earned the top judged award, the Inspire Award, which is given to the team that best embodies the ‘challenge’ of the FIRST Tech Challenge program.  By winning this award, we also received an invitation to the Michigan Championship - Macomb!


On December 7, 2019, we participated in our second competition, the G.R.A.Y.T. Kettering Qualifier.  During this competition, we were the #2 alliance captain, advanced to the finals round for robot performance, and won the finals match!  We were also the 2nd place finalist for the Inspire Award, and won the Think Award, which is the second highest judged award.  The Think Award is given to the Team that best reflects the journey the Team took as they experienced the engineering design process during the build season.


On December 13 and 14, 2019,  we competed in the Michigan State Championship - Macomb.  We worked really hard to prepare, and were excited, and ready to compete as a team.  After the robot performance qualifying rounds, we were ranked #11.  We were fortunate to be picked as the second pick by the #1 Alliance Captain. We helped our alliance rise to victory in the robot performance event, and we were a member of the Winning Alliance of the Michigan Championship - Macomb!  We also set a world record for most points in an elimination match with no penalties.  By being a member of the Winning Alliance, we were invited to participate in the FIRST World Championship - Detroit!! 


The process of building and designing the robot is not an easy one. It has its expenses and must be completed within eight weeks, which flies by unbelievably fast with so many things to get done. The journey from the first kit of parts and the first blank sheet on the drawing board to the completed robot participating in the competition is long and stressful, yet its value and benefits reach so far beyond robotics and competing. Through the program, students gain a priceless opportunity to experiment and explore their technological capabilities and gain exposure to several aspects of technology, including technical design, computer programming, as well as business management and community outreach. However, in order to make this journey successful, the team needs support from the community on several different levels. 


During COVID-19, the team kept working and trying to keep making progress. 

The leadership team worked on making a variety of different videos to spread FIRST awareness.

The build team did many challenges to keep in touch with build. We had a wooden catapult challenge, a Father’s Day challenge, and a few other things to keep our CAD skills sharp.


In the 2020-2021 season, because everything was virtual from Covid-19, we had three competitions that were all remote.



The Novi qualifier was our first Qualifier for the Ultimate Goal Season. We did pretty average in the qualifying matches and we had a good judging session, but that wasn't enough to get us to States. Our Highest Score in this Qualifier is 138. We got these Awards: Collins Aerospace Innovate Award and 3rd Place Design Award.


The next event at the Kettering Qualifier went really well for us! We did amazing, and got at average of about 202. We also had a very good judging session, and that really showed. Our highest score this time around was 222. We got to states with these awards: Inspire Award 1st place, Robot game 2nd Place, Connect Award 3rd Place, and Control Award 2nd Place.


The States event went well for us overall. We did average in the matches, and placed closer to the middle. Our highest score this time was only 174. We also had a very good judging session, and we ended up getting the 2nd place Control Award.


One of the most effective ways to support the NERDbots Robotics Team is to sponsor us financially. By contributing monetary support, the team will be able to purchase necessary materials and tools to construct the robot; in return, we offer several benefits, including advertising space on the robot itself.


Here is just a sample of what your support will help pay for: 

 -Tournament registration fees 
-Robot parts (motors, servos, batteries, structural members, controllers, etc.) 
-Computers and CAD software 
-Funding for helping start other FIRST teams
-2021-2022 FTC field kit and materials 
-New tools for our workshop 
-Team shirts 
-Promotional Material
-Travel costs
-Donations for outreach


Sustaining in-kind support through product donations (used CAD laptops) and discounts allow us to stretch our financial resources even farther. Any support offered will help and enrich the NERDbots and better ensure that students have opportunities and exposure to the areas of science and technology and prepare them to meet the growing demand for technologically adept individuals in today’s world. 


We hope you will consider becoming a part of our team by providing the financial support we need for the current season.


Please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for your time and interest.

Our website:
https://www.nerdbots.org