FRC Team 2881 - The Lady Cans

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FRC Team 2881 - The Lady Cans

Girl Scouts of Central Texas FIRST robotics team made up of high schoolers interested in introducing more girls to the world of engineering.

The Lady Cans began as a quest for more engineering for 9th grade girl scouts. Our Girl Scout leader started an email conversation back and forth with the Girl Scouts of Central Texas. A meeting ensued, a discussion about FIRST happened, excitement started to build and when Girl Scouts secured resources to start a Girl Scout robot team, the Lady Cans was formed. From there the Girl Scout Council c

ontact registered the Lady Cans as a FIRST team for 2009 and Mrs. Rich began her quest to find girls interested in engineering. FIRST Lunacy 2009 began with 6 girls, (who knew absolutely nothing about engineering and building robots) and 2 mentors (1 from University of Texas Robotics Automation Society and 1 from National Instruments). During the first week of build season the girls learned everything from using a hand drill to LabVIEW. As the weeks progressed, the girls became more self confident in their knowledge of engineering. Their 2009 robot "Firstie" competed at the Lone Star Regional and the team brought home the Rookie Inspiration Award. In 2010 the team added girls who had interests in web design and animation. The team grew to 12 girls. They competed at the Lone Star Regional, qualified to compete in the quarterfinals and won the Rookie Inspiration Award. In 2011, the team added more girls who were interested in building a robot and who had seen the Girl Scout robot at demonstrations and community outreach event. The team is now 14 girls, 6 girls taking responsibility for the Chairman's award activities and 8 girls designing, programming and building the robot.

08/17/2026

Can College 2026 was a success! This weekend, all team members had the opportunity to complete their team certifications and prepare for the season ahead. Through subteam presentations, review games, and team activities, The Lady Cans learned the basics of each subteam while refreshing their knowledge of our team mission, rules, and initiatives.

We’re so proud of our team for their dedication and hard work! Many thanks to our leadership team for creating such an informative and engaging learning experience!

FIRST, Girl Scouts of Central Texas, Girl Scouts, NI (now part of Emerson), Apple, Gene Haas Foundation, BAE Systems, IBM, CWS Corporate Housing, Cirrus Logic, Shurtape Technologies, LLC

08/13/2026

Wishing our wonderful senior, Claire, the warmest farewell! Claire has been a vital team member of our CAD subteam during her one year on The Lady Cans. Her bright attitude, motivation, and hard work have had an immeasurable impact within our Build Space, and we are so proud to have seen her grow into the leader that she is today. As she pursues a degree in Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M, we wish her the best of luck! We can’t wait to see what you accomplish next!

FIRST, Girl Scouts of Central Texas, Girl Scouts, NI (now part of Emerson), Apple, Gene Haas Foundation, BAE Systems, IBM, CWS Corporate Housing, Cirrus Logic, Shurtape Technologies, LLC

08/10/2026

During the summer, our IMPACT subteam got a head start on outreach and awards submissions while coordinating our summer outreach activities.

Beginning in June, we held two summer camps, Robohero Challenge and Evobot Adventure, with members volunteering to introduce STEM concepts to scouts. Immediately after, we commenced with our first ever Outreach Workshop. This involved breaking down and cleaning up the camp setup after the summer camps.

In July, Our FLLE and FLLC teams began to meet again after a brief summer break; members helped during their weekly meetings. At the very end of July, we volunteered at the QKids Demo, Qualcomm’s version of “Take Your Kids to Work Day”. We had the opportunity to showcase our robots and introduce kids to our hands-on activities that introduce kids to real STEM concepts.

In early July, we also began developing our overall vision for award submissions during our first Awards Workshop. We then began interviewing members and mentors to gather stories and perspectives for our Woodie Flowers submission. At the same time, we started developing our Impact Video, deciding how to tell our story through the season’s theme.

We hope to continue our progress in the coming months!

FIRST, Girl Scouts of Central Texas, Girl Scouts, NI (now part of Emerson), Apple, Gene Haas Foundation, BAE Systems, IBM, CWS Corporate Housing, Cirrus Logic, Shurtape Technologies, LLC

08/06/2026

Thank you to Qualcomm for inviting us to take part in QKids Day 2026! QKids Day is Qualcomm’s version of “Take Your Kids to Work Day”, and is a hands-on event that welcomes employees’ kids into the Qualcomm workplace for an introduction into tech careers as well as interactive STEM experiences.

Our team worked with about 50 kids this year, leading them through hands-on STEM activities we prepared for the event. We also brought our robot along for a demo, giving participants the opportunity to see robotics in action.

We had a great time sharing our love for STEM and robotics with the next generation of engineers and innovators. Thank you again to Qualcomm for including us in this exciting event!

FIRST, Girl Scouts of Central Texas, Girl Scouts, NI (now part of Emerson), Apple, Gene Haas Foundation, BAE Systems, CWS Corporate Housing, Cirrus Logic, Shurtape Technologies, LLC, Qualcomm

08/03/2026

This weekend, The Lady Cans competed at DRIP 2026 (Dripping Springs Robotics Invitational Palooza) off-season event. A special thank you to 6357 The Spring Konstant for organizing and hosting another incredible event!

Teammates gained experience rotating through drive team roles with Rosetta Stone, while testing and improving our updated intake system throughout the competition. The competition also gave us the opportunity to debut a new scouting system our team has been developing. Beyond the field, teammates supported the event by providing m.e. FIRST products and volunteering with field reset.

After finishing the qualification rounds ranked 2nd, we were selected as the first pick of Alliance 1, where we teamed up with alliance captain 3847 Spectrum and 2547 Discobots to form the PinkPrismParty Alliance! Our alliance went undefeated in round-robin play, earning a spot in the finals.

Following an exciting three-match finals series, we finished as event finalists. Congratulations to the winning alliance, the Cospurplacy Alliance (9506 Conspiracy Robotics, 418 Purple Haze, and 8515 Photon)!

In addition to the Finalist award, our team earned the Defender of the Field Award (monkey) for helping keep the field free of damage. We were also honored with the Analysis Award in recognition of our team’s new scouting system.

We are incredibly grateful to Westlake Robotics for allowing us to practice on their field before the event and to Howdy Bots for their support in manufacturing robot parts. We cannot thank each of you enough for your on-going support!

FIRST in Texas, FIRST , Girl Scouts of Central Texas, Girl Scouts, NI (now part of Emerson), Apple, Gene Haas Foundation, BAE Systems, CWS Corporate Housing, Cirrus Logic, Shurtape Technologies, LLC, The Spring Konstant-Team 6357

07/30/2026

We’re excited to celebrate our senior, Claire! Throughout her three and a half years with The Lady Cans, Claire has been an invaluable teammate, leader, and role model. Claire has contributed to both our Build and CAD subteams during her time on the team, ultimately becoming one of the team's go-to experts in manufacturing. Whether leading as Director of Build or contributing as a member of Pit Crew and Drive Team, Claire’s dedication, technical expertise, and commitment to the team have made a lasting impact on The Lady Cans. While we'll certainly miss Claire, we are excited to see what she’ll accomplish as she pursues Electrical and Computer Engineering at Cornell University. We wish her all the best in this next chapter. We’re so proud of you, Claire!

FIRST in Texas, FIRST, Girl Scouts of Central Texas, Girl Scouts, NI (now part of Emerson), Apple, Gene Haas Foundation, BAE Systems, IBM, CWS Corporate Housing, Cirrus Logic, Shurtape Technologies, LLC

07/27/2026

During the summer, our Build subteam has been hard at work preparing the robot for upcoming off-season competitions by redesigning several key mechanisms. They built a new intake that slides out and features gears with gears on two sides and rollers, eliminating the previous sprocket design. The hopper was also redesigned into a square-shaped mechanism that slides in and out, improving its functionality and accessibility.

In addition to robot improvements, Build has been focused on developing members' technical skills. Build Workshops introduced teammates to the team's tools, teaching their functions, proper use, and safe organization within the toolbox. During a Manufacturing Workshop, members also explored the team's fabrication process and learned how manufacturing equipment is used to create robot components.

FIRST in Texas, FIRST, Girl Scouts of Central Texas, Girl Scouts, NI (now part of Emerson), Apple, Gene Haas Foundation, BAE Systems, IBM, CWS Corporate Housing, Cirrus Logic, Shurtape Technologies, LLC

07/23/2026

We’re proud to recognize our senior, Sreya! Over the past four years with the Lady Cans, Sreya has led with quiet confidence, thoughtful decision-making, and a collaborative spirit. As Director of Awards and m.e. FIRST, she played a key role in sharing our team's story, highlighting our accomplishments, and representing The Lady Cans within the FIRST community. While we will miss having Sreya on the team, we’re excited to see what she will accomplish as she pursues a degree in Computer Science at the University of Texas at Dallas. We know amazing things are ahead!

FIRST in Texas, FIRST, Girl Scouts of Central Texas, Girl Scouts, NI (now part of Emerson), Apple, Gene Haas Foundation, BAE Systems, IBM, CWS Corporate Housing, Cirrus Logic, Shurtape Technologies, LLC

07/20/2026

Throughout the summer, our Software subteam has been preparing for upcoming off-season competitions by updating and refining the robot. They have also been leading workshops to teach both new and returning members how to create autonomous routines using PathPlanner.

Software has been working closely with Build, staying in constant communication to know when the robot is ready for testing. As the intake and hopper have continued to evolve, Software has been updating constants for the new mechanisms, refining intake agitation logic, adjusting roller behavior, and re-tuning PID controls for the robot’s arm.

FIRST in Texas, FIRST, Girl Scouts of Central Texas, Girl Scouts, NI (now part of Emerson), Apple, Gene Haas Foundation, BAE Systems, IBM, CWS Corporate Housing, Cirrus Logic, Shurtape Technologies, LLC

07/16/2026

Today we’re celebrating our senior, Pranavi! Over the past four years on The Lady Cans, Pranavi’s sense of humor brightened every meeting, keeping her teammates smiling even during the most hectic of times. Pranavi wore many leadership hats throughout her time on The Lady Cans, serving as Director of Media & Branding, Co-Director of Outreach, and Co-Director of Scouting & Strategy. She approached each role with enthusiasm, always eager to learn while encouraging her teammates to grow alongside her. We’ll miss having Pranavi on the team, but we cannot wait to see all she accomplishes as she pursues her passion for neuroscience at the University of Texas at Dallas. We wish her all the best in the years ahead!

FIRST in Texas, FIRST, Girl Scouts of Central Texas, Girl Scouts, NI (now part of Emerson), Apple, Gene Haas Foundation, BAE Systems, IBM, CWS Corporate Housing, Cirrus Logic, Shurtape Technologies, LLC

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Austin, TX

Website

http://www.frcteam2881.com/

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