REBUILT: Team 1218 Launches into the 2026 Robotics Season

by Gray David
Robotics Media Team Member

Every January, FIRST Robotics introduces a new challenge for grades 9–12. Using a specialized kit of parts, teams design and program industrial-sized robots to compete in high-energy games as part of a strategic three-team alliance.

This past Saturday, members of Robotics Team 1218 and their families, mentors, and alumni gathered in the Wissahickon Inn’s Chapel to kick off the 2026-2027 FRC season.

Following separate information sessions, the group reconvened for the live broadcast, watched by teams all over the world, revealing the 2026 season game, appropriately titled REBUILT, which is a smaller part of FIRST’s larger theme, FIRST AGE: Uncover the Future. This season will focus on innovation and using the tools available to step into a prosperous future, while connecting to the discoveries that have shaped every team participating in FRC.

The game consists of two three-team alliances. It is centered around a key concept: using the robot to collect fuel (a medium-sized yellow ball) and shoot it into specific goals, called “hubs,” during the preliminary autonomous period and the subsequent driver-controlled period. 

Robots must meet specific thresholds for the amount of fuel scored to amass ranking points, which decide the standings at the end of the competition. The final phase of the game occurs when robots stop shooting fuel and climb a three-rung tower, earning a fixed amount of points based on which rung they reach: the higher the rung, the more points the robot earns.

“I really like this game, and I think it presents a unique challenge with the opportunity for a super high ceiling but also a very low floor if we don’t play it right,” said 1218 co-captain Leo Cohen after he watched the game reveal. “I’m excited to see how the game is played at the top level.”

The afternoon was abuzz with tactical talk as the team filtered out of the Chapel and back into the science building for a strategy meeting that occupied the majority of the afternoon. 

In the coming months, SCH’s robotics team will work to get their robot (and all accompanying parts!) ready for competition season.

Good luck, 1218, and #GoRobots!