About Us
Newbotics 8349 is a community-based FIRST Robotics Competition made up of high school students from Newmarket and surrounding areas. Typically, our team draws students from six to ten schools from Newmarket, Aurora and Richmond Hill. Utilizing Pickering College’s in-house robotics workshop, students collaborate with experienced mentors to design, build and program competitive robots while developing real-world technical, leadership and teamwork skills. The purpose and mission of FIRST Robotics Canada are to prepare young people for the world of tomorrow by providing programs that build skills, confidence, and resilience. Newbotics 8349 fully embraces this vision.
FIRST Robotics releases a new game challenge every year, which it calls “the varsity sport of the mind.” The challenge poses a scenario in which student teams build and program robots to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors under strict rules and time limits. The competitions are held at various venues and feature the exciting atmosphere of a professional sporting event. In the lead-up to the competitions, teams create team “brands”, fundraise, brainstorm, research and then implement their robot designs. As FIRST Robotics Canada states, “it’s as close to real-world engineering as a student can get.” Many robotics students will pursue science, technology, engineering, math, or computing programs after high school, and regardless of their program, they take away valuable problem-solving and life skills.
History of Innovation
8349 Newbotics started in 2020, building a robot, but the competitions were cancelled due to COVID restrictions. In 2023, the team took part in their first head-to-head game challenges and reached provincials, a solid accomplishment against teams with considerably more experience. The team has taken these experiences to further develop a multifunctional swerve drive, enabling faster, more competitive performance, in-house 3D printing, and great prototyping. In 2025, during the most recent FIRST Robotics competition, ‘REEFSCAPE’, 8349 – Newbotics earned a spot at the Ontario Provincial Championships after two high-energy district events, one of which took place in Newmarket. The team ranked 1361st out of 3690 teams worldwide. The students are eager to build upon these accomplishments.
Current Activities
The team spent the Fall doing a variety of organizational and preparatory tasks during weekly meetings. The primary task was to strip down the robot chassis to remove components specific to last year’s game challenge. Members familiarized themselves with the design and layout of the standard components, as well as the tools and parts that are likely to be used. Many members also took opportunities to work with mentors to improve their coding skills and the use of CAD (computer-aided design). The 2026 theme will be released on January 10, and the team needs to be fully prepared, as the design, construction, and testing of the robot must occur within a few short weeks.