UForce 23400 FTC - Forbidden

UFORCE #23400 is a FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) team based in the UAE with non profit status. FTC spans over 35,000 teams across 80+ countries, challenging students aged 12–18 to design, build, and program full robots from scratch each season - with an entirely new game introduced every year.

This season, UFORCE is competing at the highest level we have ever reached.

Our robot, Falcon, is currently ranked among the top in OPR, with a 2nd place global ranking in endgame performance out of over 35,000 competing teams. Our recent achievements include:

• Winning Alliance (Overall Champions) at the FTC Vietnam Championship

• Securing all Top 5 highest match scores at the event alongside our alliance partner

• Winning Alliance Captain at the Dubai Scrimmage

• Setting an event high score of 218 points in a solo finals match

We have also qualified for the Michiana Premier Event and submitted a competitive entry for the Multinational Tech Invitational (MTI) - a top 40 global teams event with results pending April 19th.

We are currently building our new and improved robot – Forbidden. A robot that is built around a set of deeply considered engineering decisions:

• Butterfly Octo-Mecanum Drivetrain - four mecanum wheels and four traction wheels arranged to dynamically switch between mecanum and tank drive, maximising speed and field mobility

• PTO Park System - reroutes drivetrain motors directly into a climbing mechanism at endgame, maximising climbing power without consuming additional motors

• Custom Silicone-Moulded Intake - in-house moulded roller assembly paired with custom vector wheels, engineered for maximum intake speed and reliability

• 0.25s Cycle Time

• Physics-Based Shooting - shooting speed, angle, and turret heading are calculated in real time using kinematics and projectile motion, converted directly to flywheel speed and hood angle, with an adaptive hood that compensates for speed fluctuations and remains active while the robot is moving

Every one of these systems places specific demands on the structural plates that hold them together. These custom CNC-machined carbon fiber plates form the load-bearing core of Forbidden, supporting the drivetrain chassis and primary mechanism mounts under extreme operational stress. Designed in Fusion 360 to precise tolerances, they are engineered to maximize structural rigidity while minimizing weight. Without this level of material performance and manufacturing precision, the robot would be prone to flex, misalignment, and potential structural failure.

UFORCE’s influence extends well beyond competition performance:

• Active contributors to the UAE’s FIRST Robotics ecosystem through outreach, mentorship, and team development

• Founders of firstrobotics.ae and @firstrobotics.ae, building a centralized hub for robotics in the UAE

• Collaboration with sister team 2FORCE, amplifying competitive and community reach

• Launch of FTCnews.ae, in partnership with an international FTC media network, expanding visibility across regional and global audiences

UFORCE has been one of the most active forces in growing FTC within the UAE and beyond. Through direct mentorship, UFORCE has mentored 22 FIRST teams, assisted 14, and helped start 9 new teams. After FTC went dormant in the UAE for six years, UFORCE brought it back in collaboration with Unique World Robotics, this season alone engaging over 600 students across outreach events, scrimmages, and intraschool robotics competitions.

UFORCE's reach extends well beyond the UAE - from representing the region at the 2025 Global Innovation Summit and co-organizing the Dubai First off-season with First Kazakhstan, to establishing a robotics lab in India through the RAIL Project and running workshops for over 300 children with special needs at the Rashid Centre. UFORCE's impact goes far beyond competition, making STEM accessible to all.

Any partnership with UFORCE provides exposure across international FTC competitions, a rapidly growing UAE STEM community, and digital platforms reaching students, mentors, and engineering enthusiasts.

We would highly value a partnership with PCBWay, not only as a sponsor but as a strategic enabler of robotics innovation in the UAE.

By supporting UFORCE and the broader FIRST Robotics UAE initiative, PCBWay would play a pivotal role in:

• Empowering teams with access to custom machining and advanced manufacturing technologies

• Elevating the engineering quality and competitiveness of UAE-based robotics teams

• Inspiring the next generation of engineers through real-world exposure 

Our goal is not just to compete, but to scale the entire robotics ecosystem of UAE and beyond, and PCBWay’s involvement would directly accelerate that mission.

In return, PCBWay will receive logo placement on our competition robot and team jerseys, formal recognition in our engineering documentation, and dedicated media content showcasing the partnership in a real high-stakes competition environment. 

We are truly excited to collaborate with PCBWay and bring Forbidden to its highest competitive form yet, and we believe this partnership will be as rewarding for PCBWay as it is for us.