Robbinsville High School’s FIRST Robotics team, Nemesis, added another win to their season with their victory at the Mid Atlantic Robotics Championships.
The team is advancing to the World Championship set for April 23 to 26 in St. Louis, Mo.
Nemesis arrived at Lehigh University’s Stabler Arena for the competition April 10. Fifty-five teams from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware prepared to compete in qualifying matches beginning April 11.
Every January, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) announces a new challenge for teams around the world to complete with their own robot. This year’s game, Aerial Assist, is played 3-versus-3, the objective being to place a ball into a floor goal or to shoot for the high-scoring goal.
In six weeks, Nemesis created a robot named Bellerophon. Team members first designed the robot using CAD software, and then worked to bring their creation to life. Most parts were constructed in the RHS’ technology lab using the CNC Mill and Router. Parts too large to be crafted in the lab were made by local sponsors per the student’s specifications.
The first day of competition was fraught with difficult match-ups for Nemesis. Despite presenting a consistently rigorous offense, Bellerophon’s first five matches left the team with a record of 2-3. Nemesis rallied and its Drive Team, made up of seniors Josh Falk and Antonio Papa, sophomore Christian Gavalchin, and mentor Scott Meredith, helped the team win the remaining matches on Friday.
The next day, Nemesis gradually worked their way up the rankings. By the conclusion of the qualification matches, the team earned a record of 9-3 and grabbed seventh seed.
Due to their high rank, Nemesis reserved the right to select two teams to join them in the Elimination Matches. Nemesis picked MORT from Mount Olive and Miss Daisy from Wissahickon, Pa.
The alliance won the first two matches in the elimination round and advanced to the finals.
In the first finals match their winning streak came to a halt;Miss Daisy’s robot stopped moving early on after a run-in with an opposing robot. Short one team member and unable to rack up all three assists, the alliance lost 241-195.
Following the match, Miss Daisy repaired their robot and was ready for the next round.
At the sound of the buzzer, the crowd began to cheer, only to see Miss Daisy come to a halt again after a few seconds. Despite the clear disadvantage, Nemesis and MORT valiantly played the match and won with a score of 176-175.
The teams rushed to the field to repair Miss Daisy’s robot. After a quick investigation, it was found that the problem was a communication fluke, and the field was reset for one last match.
The teams won the final round, and the MAR championship, with a score of 226-182.
In addition to their blue Winner’s banner, Nemesis collected the Industrial Design Award, recognizing Bellerophon as a superbly designed robot that efficiently addressed the Aerial Assist challenge.
Due to their successes at both the Hatboro Horsham and Lenape district events and their victory at the MAR championship, Nemesis was invited to compete against 400 teams at the World Championship in St. Louis.
More information is online at frc2590.org.
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