Rubber Bandits had the opportunity to showcase our robot at I/ITSEC, the world’s largest modeling and simulation conference. Over 3 days, our 3 team leads engaged with 100+ industry professionals, delivered 25+ in-depth demonstrations, and held 15+ follow-up discussions. From these connections, we established 4 long-term professional relationships that are now providing ongoing technical mentorship and strategic guidance, directly impacting our robot development and STEM initiatives.

The Rubber Bandits showcased our robot at Maker Faire Orlando, engaging 425+ attendees including students, parents, and STEM enthusiasts. We led 100+ hands-on driving demos, distributed 200+ promotional materials, and connected with 50+ families interested in joining or starting FIRST teams. By converting high-volume interactions into measurable outreach leads, we significantly expanded FIRST awareness and strengthened our community impact heading into the competition season.

The Rubber Bandits showcased our robot at SPARK Stem Fest, where we engaged children ages 4-12 with over 50+ driving demos and connected with over 100+ families interested in joining or started FIRST teams. We actively engaged children in interactive demos and challenges which caused them to use and develop critical thinking skills and facilitate their interest into solving challenges that come across in environments like FIRST.

During the season kickoff, we delivered two 3-hour onboarding workshops to approximately 115 students in the Orlando Science High School robotics program. These sessions provided scalable instruction on mechanical fundamentals, including fabrication, assembly standards, and 3D printing workflows, to ensure a consistent technical baseline. Leveraging three years of FIRST Robotics experience, our lead established a shared knowledge base of competition-tested practices for a large, diverse group of members at the start of the build season.

Our team ran a weekly outreach program with Orlando Science Elementary, mentoring FLL Team Ultra Orcas in STEM, robot design, and programming. This structured support helped build a sustainable robotics pathway and contributed to the Ultra Orcas’ 9th-place league finish. Along with this we co-mentored, with our sister team, two rookie FTC teams #32464 Hornets and #33889 Quantum Hive that went to states We helped navigate the hurdles of being a rookie through detailed instruction of programming, mechanical, and business concepts.

Throughout the season, our team connected with 12+ teams from 5+ states through 8 online meetings, covering FIRST programs, robot design, programming strategies, and outreach opportunities. These sessions led to ongoing communication with 7+ teams for continued collaboration. We also worked closely with our mentee team, 22012 Loose Screws, holding many joint workshops, sharing 50+ resources, and exchanging technical knowledge to support their growth in both engineering and outreach initiatives.