Nemesis, Robbinsville High School’s robotics team, displays their Chairman’s Award banner at the Lenape District event on March 22, 2014.
Robbinsville High School’s FIRST Robotics Team, Nemesis, won the Chairman’s Award at the Lenape District competition March 22.
In addition to competing for the Chairman’s Award, the team participated in the Aerial Assist. The three on three game challenges teams to use their robot to place their ball into a floor goal or shoot into a high-scoring goal.
Nemesis brought Bellerophon, a robot they designed using CAD software and constructed using the student’s specifications, for the Aerial Assist.
Bellerophon sports a claw and spring-powered linear punch shooter. According to sophomore team member Parth Mandrekar, the robots biggest asset is its “ability to cooperate with other teams through passing and receiving passes effectively.”
Nemesis finished the first day of qualification matches with a 7-2 record.
Day two of the competition saw even more success for Team Nemesis, who won all of their remaining qualification matches. Nemesis captured first seed, boasting a of 10-2 record.
During alliance selection, Nemesis elected to captain team Sa-BOT-age from Downingtown, Pa., and Xtreme Heat from Wanaque.
Although Nemesis moved through the quarter-finals unscathed, they sustained a loss in the semi-finals during a best two-of-three match up, with a final score of 147-146.
The team secured a spot in the finals but soon discovered that a collision in the previous match had damaged Bellerophon’s wiring, rendering it unable to shoot. The team had no time to repair and was forced to enter the finals without a shooter.
In the final round, the other alliance won both matches and Team Nemesis was named district finalists.
Meanwhile, seniors Julia Borowski, Baljot Ranu and junior Arnav Vast spent Saturday morning with the judges, presenting Nemesis’ 2014 Chairman’s Award. In the world of FIRST Robotics, the Chairman’s Award is the most prestigious honor recognizing a team as the best model for other teams to emulate.
Chairman’s winners demonstrate exemplary community outreach and commitment to STEM and embody the purpose of FIRST.
Nemesis was pitted against 19 teams from across three states. After rehearsing until the presentation was just right, the team had only to wait for the concluding Awards Ceremony on Sunday.
Despite losing the Aerial Assist in the final round, Nemesis was rewarded in the awards ceremony with the Chairman’s Award.
Nemesis is scheduled to compete in the Mid Atlantic Robotics Championships at Lehigh University’s Stabler Arena April 10 through 12. Admission is free.
More information is online at frc2590.org,
