WE ARE THE ROBO PHANTOMS
First Tech Challenge Team 23954
Building the future of robotics since 2023, one competition at a time.
First Tech Challenge Team 23954
Building the future of robotics since 2023, one competition at a time.
Our goal is to turn curiosity into capability, building competitive robots while developing the skills, mindset, and teamwork needed to solve real engineering challenges.
We continuously learn, innovate, and improve our designs, embracing challenges as opportunities to grow and excel in the field of robotics.
We believe in giving back to our community through outreach programs, inspiring the next generation of engineers, programmers, and innovators.
Meet the hardworking individuals behind Robo-Phantoms
Build
Hello, my name is Harsh Desai. I am 15 years old and go to Stephen F Austin High School. I am in the 9th grade. Some hobbies I have are playing tennis and designing mechanical devices. I have always had a passion for robotics since I always thought it was cool to build robots and compete against other teams. Building while collaborating with your team is a fun process, even if not a lot of fun. I also enjoy the problems we have to maneuver through and how to make our robot better.
Build / Design
Hello, my name is Dhruv Shah. I am 15 years old. I am in William B Travis High School in 9th grade. I enjoy learning new things about technology and exploring different items in that field. I always enjoyed robotics and participated in any robotics opportunities at my school. My hobbies include football, tennis, and music. I have learned a lot from FTC and am very glad that I am part of a great team.
Head of Software
Hello, my name is Kavin Sankaran. I am 15 years old and go to William B Travis High School. I am in 9th grade. Some hobbies that I enjoy doing is playing soccer and coding. I have always thought that robotics was cool. Having to build, code, and design is a lot of work, but also a great experience.
Design
Hi, my name is Kayan Patel, and I am a 15 year old sophomore at Stephen F. Austin High School. I am a Life rank Boy Scout working toward earning my Eagle Scout rank. This is my third year participating in FIRST Tech Challenge, and I currently serve as the team’s Head Designer. My interest in FTC began with my love for building and designing things, especially with Lego's, and was further inspired by my cousins who competed in FRC. Through FTC, I have gained hands-on engineering experience, strengthened my problem-solving skills, and learned the importance of teamwork while helping design and build our robot.
Build
Hello, my name is Aarin Mehta. I am 14 years old, go to Sartartia Middle School, and am in 8th grade. Some of my hobbies are playing the violin, tennis, chess, swimming, and basketball. I am passionate about learning programming languages such as Python, Arduino, and Java. I was inspired to join the FIRST program by spectating FTC competitions. I enjoyed watching robots compete and looking at the various types of robots. Before I joined FTC I have done Destination Imagination and had the opportunity to attend Global Finals. I enjoy building as well working on the mechanical aspects of the robot.
Program Team
Hello, my name is Krishaan Desai, and I am a fourteen-year-old eighth-grade student at The Village School. I have always been passionate about computers and technology. I strive to deepen my understanding of this field and continue building my skills while collaborating and competing with others who share similar interests. I am particularly interested in robotics and computer science because of their potential to shape the future. I enjoy coding applications that can help people and improve everyday life.
Outreach
Hi, my name is Aarvi Thota. I'm 12 years old and currently in 7th grade at Sartartia Middle School. My hobbies are playing the violin, volleyball, biking, reading, and doing creative activities like designing presentations on Canva. I enjoy participating in STEM activities and challenges. In the past, I competed in Destination Imagination in both Technical and Engineering challenges, and I've been participating in the Science Fair for the past three years. I'm also part of the Girls Who Code club, where I'm learning new technologies and skills. I'm curious and always want to learn about how to build and program robots. I'm very excited to be part of the Robo Phantoms FTC team.
Outreach
Hello, my name is Sanjana Ganglani. I'm 12 years old and currently a 7th grader at Sartartia Middle School. My hobbies include playing the viola, volleyball, and reading. From a young age, I've been fascinated by robotics, and I'm eager to continue expanding my knowledge in areas such as coding and engineering through FTC. In previous years, I competed in Destination Imagination, where my team ranked among the top 10 at Global Finals. I have also participated in science fair which allowed me to further explore STEM.
Guiding and mentoring our team to success
Engineering & Technical Development Coach
Guiding our technical development and engineering excellence
Outreach, Operations, and Team Development Coach
Leading outreach initiatives and team growth
Every year, we design and build a new robot to compete in the First Tech Challenge. Our robot is the result of countless hours of design, iteration, and testing by our dedicated team members.
2025-2026
In Development
Competition Ready
See how our robots have evolved over three seasons of competition
Decode
Building on lessons learned from previous seasons, this robot represents our most advanced design yet.
Into The Deep
This season taught us the importance of robust design and strategic alliance selection.
CenterStage
This robot marked the beginning of our FTC journey and established our design philosophy.
Thank you to our amazing sponsors who support our team and help us compete at the highest level.
View Sponsors
View our competition statistics, history, and achievements across all three seasons.
View Stats
Learn about our community outreach initiatives and how we inspire the next generation.
See Our Impact