About DARC

The Decatur Austin Robotics Coalition is the result of the recent combination of the previously existing robotics teams of Decatur City Schools. Formed in 2008, the new team is already one of the area's leading high school robotics teams.

Click for fullview Proudly based in the city of Decatur, DARC boasts sixty team members from both Austin and Decatur high schools. The team contains students of all ages from freshmen to seniors; DARC puts special emphasis on recruiting younger members, who ensure the future success of the team; more than a third of the current rosters are freshmen or sophomores. The program also boasts about forty percent participation by female team members.

While sponsored by Mrs. Susan Haddock and instructed by several mentors that are professionals in their respective fields of isntruction, the actual management of the team is left to students. The team is headed by a CEO, who coordinates and oversees the progress of the team as a whole and is assisted by the Assistant CEO. Three more students lead the three broad divisions of the team: Engineering, Creative Design, and Technology. The Head of Engineering (HOE) is responsible for the design and construction of the robot while the Head of BEST Operations (HOBO) directs the marketing and promotion of the robot and the team. New for the 2009 competition season, the Technology Department, headed by the Head of Technology (HOT), builds and maintains the website in addition to writing code to control the robot. The unique challenges that these groups tackle allow a broad range of talents and skills to be put to use in DARC robotics.

Ably directed by the Head of Engineering (HOE), the main aim of the engineering team is simple; construct a functioning robot to compete and win. The actual process that achieves this is complex and arduous, and encompasses a wide range of individual tasks, from brainstorming design concepts to diagramming and sketching, and the actual nuts-and-bolts of robot construction. Engineers put the design process to work to produce the most efficient and effective robot possible. The team benefits from a wide range of professional hardware and equipment and from the efforts of volunteer mentors experienced in the engineering field. The engineering department also interacts directly with the Technology Department to assess and implement the team's strategy through the use of the BEST Robotics Advanced Instruction Node (BRAIN) Other members are responsible documenting the design and development of the robot in the Project Engineering Notebook.

Led by DARC's Head of BEST Operations (HOBO), the marketing team, referred to locally as Creative Design, is responsible for the many aspects of team operation not directly tied to robot construction. As the name implies, marketing is primarily responsible for promoting the team. This is accomplished through a variety of creative means, such as team buttons, brochures, and promotional giveaways. Marketing's biggest project each year is the table display for BEST, which showcases the team and the robot in a walk-in booth that imaginatively reflects the theme of that year's BEST. The booth is transported to each BEST competition and set up for curious passerby. Marketing also designs and operates the team's website and oversees community outreach programs, including building partnerships with other local teams to develop their capability in engineering and marketing.

Managed by DARC's Head of Technology (HOT), the technology team is the newest addition to the structure of DARC. It was unoficially established as a subgroup of the Engineering department during the 2008 competition season, and branched out into its own independent department for the 2009 season. The Technology team is responsible for overseeing the software aspect of DARC. Programmers on this team work to provide the engineers with an efficient means of controlling the robot through the BEST Robotics Instruction Node (BRAIN), as well as providing the engineers with organized and efficient ways of tracking hardware and software issues to be addressed. Other members of this team are responsible for building and maintaining the team's website, which falls under the purview of the Marketing department. This also involves implementing efficient methods for communicating important news to the team as needed through the use of mass text messaging, email, and social networking. In addition, the technology team responds to all IT problems within the DARC warehouse, such as frequent wireless internet crashes and malfunctioning computers.