DCS Defenders Robotics #15815

DECODE

Meet Our Bot
Name
 Little Tut
Drivetrain
 four wheel mecanum, each wheel powered by a REV HD Hex motor with UltraPlanetary Gearbox and per-wheel drive belts
Shooter
 double custom-molded compliant wheels powered by per-wheel REV HD Hex motors with UltraPlanetary Gearbox, with a double GoBilda SuperSpeed servo scissor lift mechanism
Intake
 horizontally-mounted lower intake with custom-molded compliant wheels powered by a GoBilda continuous rotation servo; two vertically-mounted middle intakes with custom-molded compliant wheels each powered by a GoBilda continuous rotation servo; upper horizontally-mounted intake wheel with surgical tubing, powered by double GoBilda continuous rotation servos
Carousel
 plexiglass and wire spring wheel for moving artifacts throughout the bot, powered by a REV HD Hex motor with UltraPlantary Gearbox and 90 Degree Gearbox
Lighting
 full-color LED light strip powered by REV Blinkin Driver, capable of indicating alliance and bot status by way of color and light patterns
Vision triple detection zone with mean saturation comparison, powered by Aluratek Ultra 2K Live camera and VisionPortal
Awards
 Inspire Award, 1st Place (Grand Rapids); Think Award, 1st Place (Kentwood); Advanced to MI State Championship (Kentwood and Grand Rapids)
Meet the Team
Team photo taken on November 1, 2025
Our Season
MI State Championship NW
12/12/25 – 12/13/25
  • Trinity Health Arena; Muskegon, MI
  • Details coming soon!
FTC Event Results
Details
Grand Rapids Qualifier
Saturday 11/8/25
  • Ranked first at the end of qualifying matches
  • Captain of Alliance 1
  • Winner of the Inspire Award
  • Advanced to State Championship
FTC Event Results
Details
Kentwood Qualifier
Saturday 11/1/25
  • Ranked ninth at the end of qualifying matches
  • Chosen as partner for Alliance 2
  • Winner of the Think Award
  • Advanced to State Championship
FTC Event Results
Details
To Be Determined
  • As in previous seasons, we anticipate competing at two tournament events as well as a local scrimmage.
  • Participation at state or national championships is conditional upon performance at tournaments.
Details
Practice Schedule
An up-to-date calendar of practices and competitions for the season.
Download the Schedule
  • As in previous seasons, we anticipate competing at two tournament events as well as a local scrimmage.
  • Participation at state or national championships is conditional upon performance at tournaments.
Details
Official Registration Form
To be an official member of our team, FTC asks that all students be registered in the official FTC system. If you're interested, you can learn more about this process.
Register Now
Details
MI State Championship NW
12/13/24 – 12/14/24
  • After two days of competition, 4 wins and 3 losses.
  • Ranked 18th after the qualification matches.
  • Picked to be a member of Alliance 4!
  • Made it to Match 6 of the tournament
Details
Fruitport Qualifier
11/23/24
  • Ranked 10th at the end of qualifying matches
  • Chosen as partner for Alliance 3
  • Third place, Inspire Award
  • Member of 2nd place alliance
  • Advanced to state championship
Details
Scrimmage with Calvin Christian and Potter's House
10/26/24
  • Ranked 9th after 39 qualifying matches
  • Ranked 5th by OPR
  • First pick by Alliance 3
  • Design Award winner
Meet the Game
Detailed Field Diagram

2025-2026 Season Resources

Materials for the DECODE game will be available after the reveal on September 6, 2025.

2025-2026 Season Resources

This video gives an overview of how the season's game is played.
This manual describes the general setup and play of the DECODE game.
Game Manual, Part 2 (traditional events)
The second part of the game manual covers the specifics of the CenterStage game, and is the authoritative source for rules.
This is a copy of the table from the Competition Manual which describes how to score points in the game.
This is a copy of the table from the Competition Manual which explains how teams advance from qualification events to higher-level events.
This document is a quick summary of how the game is played and, more importantly, a summary of how points can be scored.
Developed by FTC, this webpage allows you to quickly calculate an overall score for a CenterStage match. Note that when using this, you must manually count the number of "mosaics" created on the backdrop.
Developed by an FTC team mentor, this tool allows you to quickly calculate a game's pixel point score. Scores are calculated by visually "placing" pixels of different colors on a virtual backdrop. This means that the calculator will help you in determining how many "mosaics" have been created.
This board is considered the official place to get answers to questions about the rules, gameplay, or strategy.
Game Manual, Part 1 (traditional events)
The first part of the game manual covers general topics of how FTC competitions are run.
This document describes the criteria for the different awards that an FTC team can win throughout the season.
This page is the definitive place to find information or resources for this year's game.
Our Team Organization
Photo of the DCS Robotics team at the East Kentwood qualifier on November 4, 2022.
Programming Team

Tutorials, resources, and instructions for members of the programming team—or anyone interested in learning more about programming an FTC robot.

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Engineering Team

Information on construction and design aspects of FTC robots.

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Marketing & Promotions Team

In charge of pit design, sponsorships, fundraising, apparel design, and other public elements of the team.

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Strategy Team

Responsible for high-level game strategy, oversight of competition scouting, and field management.

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Drive Team

Responsible for play of the game during competitions.

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