Inside the FIRST Invention Convention, and How Robots Get Their Names

You enter the pit at your own risk, protective eye wear not optional. Here is where teams from Connecticut to Canada are working out the bugs of the robotic inventions they spent six weeks creating, all for a shot at some glory during the annual FIRST Robotics Regionals, which could lead them to the annual FIRST Championships in April, held in St. Louis, Mo.

Merrimack High School was proud of how their robot, Lucy, performed, after she effectively dumped Frisbees into the scoring booth, no problem, during task one.

Task two was also going well, according to the team.

"She climbs just enough to get off the ground, which is good enough to score," said Merrimack senior Alex Elmer.

When asked, the team had a perfectly logical, if not unexpected, explanation for naming their Frisbee-shooting robot "Lucy." 

"It has six wheels, six motors, and six vectors, and 6-6-6- is the number for the devil, and another name for the devil is Lucifer, so Lucy, for short," explained
Adam Goodspeed, a freshman at Merrimack.

In the spirit of intriguing robot naming rituals, here's some other team robot names:

The Windham High School Windup: We did observe this team working on their robot in the pit, but because they were in the middle of something that looked very delicate and techie, I didn't want to disturb. I did snap a few photos, and you can see them at work in the video mash-up posted with this story, as well.

Nashua Tough Techs: Their robot, Guillotine, has two gleaming silver arms on either side that, in the process of perfecting, would occasionally lose their bungee cord connections, creating a guillotine effect. SNAP!

Londonderry PVC Pirates: Their robot, McFly, invokes "Back to the Future," and rightly so - it's designed to look a bit like a DeLorean, the car that was transformed into a time machine in the popular movie, and their robot has that sleek look, right down to an official DMC insignia plate affixed to the top of McFly.

Bishop Guertin Cardinals: Their robot, named Vertigo, has no fear of heights, and is an avid climber, which is one of the prescribed tasks in this year's "Ultimate Ascent" competition.

Milford's Mechanical MAYHEM: Team Mayhem, comprised of area homeschoolers, named their bot Discobolus, a nod to the Greek god of disc throwing, which speaks to their robot's Frisbee-tossing prowess. Also, MAYHEM is not just a state of mind, but an acronym for Milford Area Youth Homeschoolers: Enriching Minds.

Daniel Webster College Phoenix Robotics: This team is an amalgamation of members from around Southern New Hampshire, consisting of home school and charter school students who come together at Daniel Webster College to create. Their Robot, K-2, represents the "hardest mountain to climb" according to team member Georges Mourant, returning to this year's FIRST theme, "Ultimate Ascent."

Bedford High Schools Red Storm: This team, which is out to win the Spirit Award, was busy grinding something on their robot, named Alice. Sparks were literally flying among team members (see video footage), so we spoke briefly with team mentor and Bedford Science teacher Kevin Munroe, who said his favorite part of being involved with FIRST is that the students get to practice what they are being taught in school. As for the origins of Alice's name, one team member just shrugged and said, "Why not?"

Apologies to the other local Patch town teams, who were competing while we were making the rounds, including:

Amherst Entropy which has a good outline of what FIRST is all about on their website, which we're sharing here:

Performance at the competition is rooted in four basic factors:

• An efficient and reliable robot design
• A well-trained drive team
• A sound game strategy complimented by good scouting intelligence
• Good alliance partners

What WINS in FIRST?

• Working as a team to achieve a common goal
• Collaborating on ideas to solve a problem
• Decompose a complex activity into a manageable set of tasks
• Practicing time management skills
• Learning to operate in a constrained environment
• Gracious Professionalism and “Coopertition”

What WINS FIRST Competitions?

• Competitive robot design – do one thing very well!
• Trained drive team – practice, practice, practice!
• Sound game strategy with critical scouting feedback
• Good alliance partners – luck of the draw!

St. Paul School in Concord, The Metal Vidsters: This team was heading back from the competition floor and already grabbing for tools to make adjustments when we spotted them in the pit. We didn't want to interrupt just to chat them up, but you can learn a lot about their creative spark via their team bios, linked here, which demonstrates the kind of imagination and thoughtfulness that goes into FIRST team membership.

Bishop Brady (Concord) Robotics team Lumberjacks: This teams pit area was empty when we passed by, so no doubt they were either out chopping wood, or competing. But you can find a live stream to the action happening at the Verizon Wireless Arena right here, courtesy of Code Red Robotics.

Concord High School's Tidal Force: This Concord-based team was also MIA  in the pit. Their website is password protected, which is a great security measure, but alas, bad for snoopy journalists.

Finally, the official rundown on FIRST, from the official usafirst.org site. BTW, FIRST, founded by NH inventor Dean Kamen in 1989, is an acronym: For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology:

"FIRST isn't about competing, it's about cooperating, and recognizing that if you have the right tools, you'll be able to make this world a better place for yourself and for the country," said Dean Kamen, president of DEKA Research and Development and FIRST Founder, adding, "There is no stimulus package that will have as much return as stimulating a bunch of kids to become the workforce of the future, the problem solvers, the creators of the future."

The 2013 game, ULTIMATE ASCENT, is played between two Alliances of three teams each. Each Alliance competes by trying to score as many flying discs into their goals as possible during the two-minute and 15-second match. Discs scored in higher goals score Alliances more points. Matches end with robots attempting to climb up pyramids located near the middle of the field.

"For our country to succeed, we must prepare our young people and our workforce for the jobs of the 21(st) century, and events like this competition are crucial for those efforts," noted the new governor of New Hampshire, Maggie Hassan. "It is going to be incredibly important as we move forward in this state and in this country that more and more of our young people are prepared."

Click here for all New Hampshire FIRST teams competing this year, including links to their individual sites.

See the complete schedule of events uploaded here via PDF. All events are free and open to the public at the Verizon Wireless Arena.