The Lunatecs, FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC) Team 316 Qualified to Compete in the FIRST® Championship Event in Houston.

Swedesboro, NJ, April 9th – South Jersey Robotics’ FIRST® Robotics Competition team, the Lunatecs (FRC 316), is excited to announce that they have qualified to compete in the FIRST® Championship in Houston from April 20th to 23rd.

After two years of canceled in-person competitions due to COVID-19, the Lunatecs finally had an in-person season! Unfortunately, the season got off to a rocky start. Still, after a well-played second competition in Bensalem, where their alliance won the competition and the team won the Innovation in Control Award, the Lunatecs qualified for the FIRST® Mid-Atlantic District competition. The Lunatecs fought hard, rising from the low 80s in the district after their first competition to 11th after the First Mid-Atlantic District Championship. Their hard work and well-designed robot paid off and qualified them to compete at the FIRST® Championship in Houston. The FIRST® Championship brings together over 15,000 students competing at all levels of FIRST®!

Although in 2020 and 2021, COVID disrupted their competitions, it did not derail the program. The Lunatecs continued to learn, develop, and thrived doing remote sessions, creating facemasks for local community hospitals, and developing assistive devices. The most recent being a custom-designed swim fin for veteran amputees and spinal cord injury victims. FIRST® and Disney have featured 316’s work with adaptive devices on their FIRST® Inspires, Build the future page https://FIRST®inspires.wpengine.com

The Lunatecs are excited to represent FIRST® Mid-Atlantic, South Jersey Robotics,
and their sponsors in Houston and are currently raising funds to support them via a 
GoFundMe at https://gofund.me/e70e0293.


For more information about the Lunatecs, South Jersey Robotics programs, and
sponsorship opportunities, please contact info@sjrobotics.com.


About the Lunatecs (FRC 316):
The Lunatecs (FRC 316) is not just a FIRST®® Robotics Competition team. It is a year-long community STEM program for youth in
South Jersey and the surrounding area that helps students learn STEM and leadership skills and supports the community with 
outreach events and summer camps.

About South Jersey Robotics (SJR):

SJR is a 501c3 nonprofit that provides STEM education through the creation of sustainable, robust robotics programs in
Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties in NJ. SJR works with school districts & community organizations to provide access to
STEM-related, FIRST®, and other programs to the 61,000 school-aged children in these counties. These programs help students 
build lifelong skills beyond engineering and robotics, such as public speaking, project planning & time management, which will help 
them succeed in life.


About FIRST®:
FIRST® is a robotics community that prepares young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics 
programs for ages 4-18 (PreK-12) that can be facilitated in school or in structured after school programs. Boosted by a global support
 system of volunteers, educators, and sponsors that include over 200 of the Fortune 500 companies, teams operate under a 
signature set of FIRST® Core Values to conduct research, fundraise, design, build, and showcase their achievements during annual
 challenges. An international not-for-profit organization founded by accomplished inventor Dean Kamen in 1989, FIRST® has a
proven impact on STEM learning, interest, and skill-building well beyond high school. Alumni of FIRST® programs gain access to 
exclusive scholarships, internships, and other opportunities that create connections and open pathways to a wide variety of careers.
 Learn more at FIRST®inspires.org.

Contact Information:
Email: info@sjrobotics.com

Websitehttps://www.sjrobotics.com/lunatecs

Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/frclunatecs316

Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/316_lunatecs

Team 316 Qualified to Compete in the
FIRST® Championship Event in Houston