The Force has awakened. If you’re thinking Star Wars, that’s actually not too far off. Robots, engineering, overcoming challenges; Robotics seem to have it all.

This year’s Build Season kicked off on January 3, but members of Team 1073 aren’t as thrilled for this challenge as they have been before.

Essentially, the challenge is to stack more than a dozen recycling bins in a designated zone and place “waste” inside special bins. Two teams from different schools will work together in an alliance to finish the task as fast as possible. However, alliances must stay on the same side and cannot interact with their opponents or sabotage their efforts.

“I just don’t like the fact that there’s no offense or defense,” said Kyle Pittman ’16. “It feels like FIRST Lego League; there’s no competition.”

Sue Hay, Advisor and Head Mentor of the Robotics Team, said that compared to past competitions, this one is very different.

“It’s too simple for higher level teams,” she explained. “But I think there are some hidden strategies the students haven’t figured out yet.”

Team 1073 has its first competition on March 6. The meet will last for three days in Reading, Mass., and admission is free for spectators.