Having already finished in one major competition, the M-SET robotics team has learned lessons it hopes to apply later in the year.

At the Cal Games tournament held in late October, the 25-member team took its robot into battle against 30 other teams from the Bay Area.

The task their robot had to complete was to place inflatable tubes on racks in order to earn points.

“We worked really hard and built what we thought was a great, robot,” club president Michael Zuccarino said. “But as it turned out, the robot had many technical flaws.”

The team is now looking to organize and train new members. M-SET leaders plan to hold workshops that include safety training, fundamentals and various aspects to the build season are in store for these new member that have yet to learn the robotics basics.

The fundraising team, a new addition to the club, has shown great promise, picking up $5,400. Additional grants were funded by Mentor Graphics and EMC Corporation.

The club is also focusing on tightening organization. A main concern that affected the robot at Cal Games was the lack of preparation and planning. “With the lack of attendance, keeping track of the various aspects of the robot was very tough,” Zuccarino said.

MSET hopes to fare well at the Jan. 7 Silicon Valley Regional and go as far as the St. Louis National Competition.