Robotics...at the varsity level

In 1992, engineering pioneer Dean Kamen began the "FIRST" program, an acronym for "For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology." Its goal was to "create a world where young people dream of becoming science and technology heroes."

Fifteen years later, senior Chapin Cutler and a few classmates formed CM's first Robotics Club, along with Chapin's mother, Mrs. Deborah Cutler. The team will complete its second year this weekend at the Boston Regionals Robotics event. This competition, held at the Agganis Arena at Boston University, saw CM students taking home the top prize last year along with their
teammates from Brookline High School and Boston Latin School. This tri-school team "Nu-trons" team, named for the Northeastern University Robotics Club which sponsors it, also got to compete at the national level earlier this month in Phoenix, Arizona.

Each January, the FIRST program issues a challenge to all high school teams nationwide (there are 150,000 students in the country who participate). Cutler, along with classmates Teddy Poppe '09, Antonio Rufo '09, and Sebastian Courtney '08, started designing and organizing their project immediately. "We have to do a bit of fundraising to raise more money," said Cutler, "to be able to cover the cost for entrance fees, parts, and new raw materials. But we got a [local] restaurant to help us with that."

Together, the students designed a robot in response to this year's challenge, which involved having the robot perform various feats on an obstacle course, each success bringing in a certain number of points. "FIRST" rules limit the students in their materials and design somewhat, but imagination, creativity, and survival skills all play into their annual creation. This year, they ended up with a 3-ft. high red and black aluminum robot, weighing a hundred pounds, whose arm and catapult is capable of propelling medicine-ball weights up to twelve feet.

"Once we designed and built it," said Cutler, "we shipped it to Phoenix for the competition, in a crate." When they got to Phoenix for the annual national competition, they vied against other tri-school teams in qualification matches. "We won the first three matches, but "we aimed to be a sleeper pick in the eliminations. We wanted the top eight teams to notice us and pick us for those." In the qualification round, the team made it to the second semifinal match when a pneumatic cylinder on the robot's arm started failing and it couldn't propel balls to earn points.

At the Agganis Arena on Saturday, the red-and-black Knight will have its chance once again, with the design flaw corrected, the team hopes. "We believe we have the capacity to go all the way," Cutler said, "and we're happy with what we have this year going into it." The team took the top prize in the Boston Regionals last year; 51 other teams will hope to steal it from the reigning champs this weekend.