Pioneer Robotics was founded in 2017 to give students a chance to further their skills in engineering, programming, design, and thinking. Two years later, in 2019, we earned our first ever spot at the World Championships in Detroit. Out of the 7,000 existing First Tech Challenge (FTC) teams, Pioneer Robotics placed 1st in autonomous programming and 20th overall. Along with our world ranking, Pioneer Robotics has been recognized as a top tier team with 6 Inspire Awards (given to the team that best embodies the FTC program), the Motivate and Connect awards for our community outreach efforts to local STEM communities, and the Collins Aerospace Innovate and Design awards for our unique and effective robot design.
Our Mission
The primary goal of Pioneer Robotics is to provide members with the opportunity to learn many aspects of robot design, construction, programming, and competition experience from mentors and experienced FTC members. We seek to instill FIRST’s ideal of gracious professionalism, which encourages best engineering practice through collaborative competition, serving the community through outreach activities and inspiring younger students to get excited about STEM fields. In addition, FIRST provides a platform for Saint John's students to practice the Xaverian virtues of simplicity, zeal, compassion, humility, and trust. By competing in FTC Robotics, students practice the skills necessary to participate in emerging technologies.
