Underengineered
Toasters

About the toasters

Certified pre-burnt since day one.

Why "Underengineered"?

Self-deprecation is a load-bearing part of this team. We picked a name that sets expectations on the floor, then we build over it.

The joke only works because the engineering underneath is serious: CAD reviews, version-controlled code, and a maintained engineering notebook, all wrapped in toaster puns. FIRST Tech Challenge is an international competition where high-school teams engineer 18-inch robots to play a new game each season. We compete, we document, and we share what we learn.

Thinking about joining? No experience required. If you can hold a wrench, write a line of code, or narrate a robot demo, we'll find you a slot.

Vital statistics

Team number: 36424
Program: FIRST Tech Challenge
Robots built: one per season, rebuilt weekly
Toasters harmed: zero (they volunteered)
Fire extinguishers on hand: always

The humans behind the smoke

One robot, zero unsupervised flames. Per FIRST youth-protection rules (and our parents), full names stay offline. The roles are very real.

  • Team Captain
    Chief lever-puller
  • Lead Builder
    Makes the sparks intentional
  • Lead Programmer
    Argues with the robot in Java
  • CAD Wizard
    Draws it right the third time
  • Driver
    Licensed, 18 inches and under
  • Outreach Lead
    Distributes STEM and crumbs
  • Scout & Strategy
    Watches other robots for a living
  • Notebook Keeper
    Documents the chaos, in pen

Mentors & grown-up supervision

Behind every student-run team is a bench of adults pretending not to panic. Our mentors review the math, sign the forms, and keep the fire strictly metaphorical.

Adult supervision included

Engineering mentor: structure and sanity
Programming mentor: debugging the debuggers
Fundraising mentor: spreadsheets and snacks