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Our 2025-2026 rookie season was a foundational year. We transitioned from VEX, built a competitive robot through 4 flywheel iterations and 6 competitions, earned our first awards, and laid the groundwork for everything to come. Here's how it went.
DECODE
DECODE, the 2025-2026 FIRST Tech Challenge game presented by RTX, challenged alliances to score 24 purple and 12 green 5-inch plastic artifacts into goals and classifier ramps. Robots had to decode a randomized 3-artifact motif on an "obelisk," manage gate openings, and park in their base.
This was our rookie year — our first FTC season, our first competitions, our first awards. Everything below was built by our OG Members and the freshmen squad they mentored.
Meet the OG Members →Multiversal Rookie Bot
Built from the ground up and refined through 6 competitions, our 2025-2026 robot evolved from a simple matchload design into a full-featured machine with vectored intake, a camera auto-locking turret, and 12 autonomous programs.
Mecanum Drive Train
Omnidirectional movement powered by 8 goBILDA motors and 1 REV Servo, allowing precise strafing and field navigation. Features field-oriented drive and slow-mode for precision aiming.
Vectored Intake
Surgical tubing hubs with vectored wheels that efficiently funnel artifacts into the robot's shooter system.
Flywheel Shooter
Single flywheel shooter refined through 4 iterations (v1 → v3). Final version features grip tape for ball compression, heavier flywheel for momentum, and belt-driven motor mounting.
Auto-Locking Turret
Camera-equipped turret that scans AprilTags on goals and automatically locks on for precision shooting. Uses a 1080p Logitech camera for reliable target acquisition.
Odometry System
Three encoder pods (2 X-axis, 1 Y-axis) paired with PedroPathing for smooth autonomous movement. Supports AprilTag relocalization to correct for positional drift.
Ramp System
Directs artifacts from the intake into the shooter system. Integrated with the turret design for seamless game piece flow.
Flywheel Evolution
Our shooter went through 4 major versions during the DECODE season, each significantly improving on the last.
Initial flywheel mounted cantilever directly onto motor. Inconsistent shots with only 40% landing within a 2-foot diameter. Not reliable during autonomous.
Redesigned mounting for more clustered, precise shots. 37% more accurate than v1. Smoother, faster, and more reliable, especially during autonomous.
Added grip tape and larger wheel diameter for better ball compression. Belt-driven motor mounting for secure attachment. 37% more accurate than v2.
Completely new, heavier flywheel with grip tape. VEX axle inserted inside a 3D-printed axle for structural durability, solving the axle-snapping problem from prior versions.
Competition
Timeline
From a simple matchload robot to a full autonomous system with 12 different programs — each competition pushed the founding team to build something better.
1st Competition
Simple matchload robot with 3D-printed ramp. 312 RPM motor proved too weak to shoot artifacts. Focused on defense and movement ranking points.
2nd Competition
Upgraded to 6000 RPM motor for functional shooting. Added servo for selective semi-automatic shooting. Human player cycled artifacts for high scoring.
3rd Competition
New 3D-printed flywheel with less shot spread. Continued fast cycling strategy with improved accuracy.
League Meet
Completely new robot design: vectored intake with surgical tubing hubs feeding a turret-mounted single flywheel shooter. 12 autonomous programs for maximum adaptability.
Last Call
Reprinted side plates and turret for stability. Upgraded to 1080p camera for reliable auto-locking. Replaced vectored wheels with surgical tubing hubs.
QuesoBowl
Multiversal finished 2nd place at QuesoBowl during the DECODE season — our strongest competition result of the rookie year.
Rookie Year Awards
Sustain Award
Recognized at a qualifier competition for our commitment to sustainability in robotics design, operation, and team practices.
Most Improved Award
Recognized for how far our rookie robot and team progressed across the DECODE season — the biggest leap forward from where we started.
The Foundation is Set
The 2025-2026 season was just the beginning. Follow along as we build the 2026-2027 robot and pursue our next chapter.