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Nemesis Ends on a High Note at Hatboro Havoc

This past Saturday, as Nemesis 2590 stepped foot into the arena of Hatboro Havoc, excitement and anticipation quickly rose within the crowd. This event marked the beginning of the off-season for FIRST Robotics Competition, a memorable one for all.

The opening ceremony of the competition initiated with the Emcee announcing each of the competing teams, and we got to see our opponents up close. The atmosphere was electric, as we saw teams decked out in their team gear, ready to rally behind us. Hatboro Havoc, while smaller in scale to regional competitions, still features a full-fledged tournament environment. Teams are divided into alliances, working together to score points by completing various objectives like shooting game pieces into goals, climbing platforms, and completing autonomous routines.

The crowd, cheering with unbridled joy, intently watched the Nemesis robot Kronos’s every move while the drivers at the station scored points for the Red alliance. However, reality hit hard in the following games against formidable opponents, as they came out swinging. As the pressure mounted, we eventually settled in, and the matches were strategically starting to be played by the drive team. One of the drive team members, Nate Lonarker, claimed “Kronos performed pretty well overall, with no breakdowns or technical difficulties”. The matches were cycled through to the rookie drivers. This allowed the drive team to receive experience in driving Kronos. We allied with teams 407 and 5181 during the final playoffs matches. Overall, Nemesis 2590 made it past the qualification rounds and finished in eighth place overall.

One key aspect that was accomplished this Saturday was introducing rookies to the team dynamics in a competition setting and educating them on what is needed to be accomplished during an event. The rookies were able to learn more and build experience on scouting, which is the process of evaluating the FRC teams at the competition. The rookies were able to gain information on note taking while scouting and efficiently practice it. Even though the process appeared complex to them in the beginning, they eventually were able to pick up on it. Recurring team members also got a chance in practicing scouting teams by taking notes during playoffs, which allowed both to understand and analyze the robots performance up close. 

No robotics competition is without its challenges. Throughout the day, the team faced a few hurdles such as working with the other teams in autonomous tasks and scoring goals. These moments are what FIRST Robotics is all about—learning from setbacks and thinking critically under pressure. The newer members got hands-on experience working alongside seasoned veterans, reinforcing the notion that every member of the team plays an essential role in the day’s success.

The day ended with a sense of accomplishment and excitement for what’s to come. Hatboro Havoc gave Nemesis 2590 the perfect opportunity to kickstart the off-season with confidence. The team now has their sights set on upcoming events, more determined than ever to push the boundaries of their engineering and teamwork. Nemesis 2590 is ready to build on this momentum as they prepare for the next challenge, and continue embodying the spirit of FIRST Robotics. We hope to come back next year to Hatboro Havoc!

    

    
 

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Worlds 2024 : Nemesis’ Cinderella Story!

 

Robbinsville High School’s Robotics Team, FRC2590, Nemesis wins their Division at the FIRST Worlds Robotics Competition in Houston, TX
From the 8th seeded alliance in their division, to placing 5th in the WORLD: 
Nemesis’ Cinderella Story

    50,000 spectators, from 58 countries, and over 18,600 students in attendance; Robbinsville High School’s very own FIRST Robotics Competition team, Nemesis, made it to the World Championship in Houston, Texas. FRC2590 was not only the captain of their alliance, but also placed 5th in the world. However, this ‘rags to riches’ story didn’t start on the award winning Einstein field.

   The championship and the events leading up to it are all a part of FIRST, an organization that doesn’t “use kids to build robots, but uses robots to build kids” as founder Dean Kamen explains, perfectly summing up this empowering sport. And even though aluminum, circuits, and wires may be the stars on the field - this isn’t just about robots. How you play is just as important, if not more important than the results of the games. Though, that’s more than enough of a reason to celebrate the students’ hard work over the season!

   A common phrase you’ll hear if you happen to find yourself within a mile radius of an FRC, FTC, or FLL robotics competition is gracious professionalism. Along with the pillars of FIRST; discovery, innovation, impact, inclusion, teamwork, and fun. And Nemesis is no stranger to implementing these core values.

   From the beginning of the 2024 season, the students on Nemesis have been working hard to create a robot worthy of another blue banner. Ascending their way through district events and the regional event, 2590 made it all the way to Texas for Kronos’, our 2024 competition robot, final face offs on the big stage.

   On day one of the competitions, Nemesis began competing in the Curie division qualification matches. Up against over 70 other teams in their division alone, 2590 managed to cap off day one with a record score of 186. At the time it was also the highest qualifying score at Worlds. This landed them in 4th place. On the following day, however, three consecutive tough qualification matches dropped 2590 down to rank 23. This drastically impacted the team’s chances of becoming a top alliance captain - and at worst, not being picked to continue competing in the playoffs at all. But this set back wasn’t going to stop the resilient drive team and pit crew members. In the two final qualification matches, Kronos pulled through and rose through the ranks, pushing Nemesis to their final seed of 11.

   On day three of the competition, the alliance selection begins. The top 8 seeded teams assumed their positions as captains and began picking their first team members. As first picks were made, Nemesis  moved up into the 8th place alliance captain. Our final alliance consisted of team 4476, W.A.F.F.L.E.S based in Ontario, Canada, team 7028, Binary Battalion from Minnesota, and our back up partner team 190, Gompei and the H.E.R.D., coming from Massachusetts.

   The first match of the semi finals was alliance 8 vs alliance 1 - consisting of the #1 and the #3 seeded teams of the Curie division. The chances of Nemesis winning this match were below 39% and in a thrilling first match, alliance 8 caused the first upset of the day and beat alliance 1 and the odds!
The alliance 8 win streak was on a roll from there, successfully beating out alliances 1, 6, 7, and 3 in the semi finals. Only losing a single match in the entire division playoffs to alliance 4. But Nemesis wasn’t satisfied with just the semi finals, they took it to the final matches - a best out of three showdown - against none other than the alliance that previously beat them. 2590 won back to back matches and secured a place in the Einstein competition as the Curie division winners!

   Alliance 8 turned into the Curie Alliance. Nemesis and their partners quickly moved to compete with the other winners of each division. The competition was fierce, but Nemesis secured a winning match on the Einstein field and went out as the 5th place alliance in the entire world. Bringing home a new blue banner to the halls of Robbinsville High School.

   These wins were a feat of amazing maneuvering, offense, and defense of the drivers and the quick work of the pit crew, but the secret behind 2590’s key to advantage lies in the work of the autonomos code and the work of every scout’s data.

   Starting each match, Nemesis could acquire up to 40 plus points in the autonomous period alone, this gave them a head start in nearly every match where their alliance could secure these points. Sometimes those 40 autonomous points would be double what the opposing alliance’s three combined teams could score. This gave the drivers breathing room to work their magic on the field during the teleoperated portion of the game.

   But the true ‘secret sauce’ can be found in the work of every student in a red and white shirt. Throughout the qualifying matches, batches of team members would scout the robots playing. Recording points racked up, shots and misses, positions played, when teams broke down and when they got ranking points. This data is crucial to the work of Nemesis’ strategists, who pulled together the list of the very teams making up their division winning alliance this year. Scouting is an often overlooked aspect of competitions, but a most impactful one by far and every attending team member had a hand in making it work.

    At the culmination of the 2024 World Championships, Nemesis finished 5th in the world. From a small tech lab in Robbinsville, NJ to the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, TX, Nemesis maintained the same core disciplines of passion, hard work and a true love for robotics. It was a wonderful day. 
 


Robbinsville High School’s Robotics Team, FRC2590, Nemesis wins their Division at the FIRST Worlds Robotics Competition in Houston, TX

   The Robbinsville High School’s Robotics Team, FRC2590, Nemesis, qualified for the World Championships in Houston, TX by placing in the top 25 teams in the Mid-Atlantic region.  At Worlds Nemesis, became one of 8 alliance captains on their field of 70 teams, and led their alliance to victory by winning the finals in the Curie Division.  The winning alliance is awarded a blue banner, the most coveted trophy in FIRST robotics.  The winning alliance on each of the 8 divisions goes on to compete on the Einstein field. On the Einstein field, Nemesis ended the competition as the 5th ranked alliance in the World!
 

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From Gears to Grains: Nemesis' Annual Food Drive is a Flying Success!

Nemesis is excited to have completed this year’s annual food drive. Throughout a three week long timespan, we were able to gather 1700 canned food and toiletry items to donate to our local food pantry. The food drive was based out of Sharon Elementary School, where bins were placed at the front entrance for students to donate food items. Fourth graders were especially motivated to donate, since the class with the most items donated would receive a robot demonstration from Nemesis.

As the food drive progressed, Nemesis team members volunteered to transport the food items from the elementary school to Robbinsville High School, where the items would be sorted and stored. At the culmination of the three week period, team members gathered to ready the donations for the pantry. Items were sorted into boxes based on different categories, and team members volunteered to drop the food off at the pantry.

The program continues with a robot demonstration for the fourth grade class that donated the most food.. This initiative showcases the merging of STEM education initiatives and general charity. While the food drive helps to generate valuable resources for those in need, it also helps introduce our community’s youth to STEM and robotics. For many current team members, their first introduction to FIRST was through the fourth grade food drive demo. By continuing our long standing tradition of organizing the food drive, Nemesis is able to inspire the spirit of robotics while also aiding those in need.

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Nemesis Turns Up The Volume At Montgomery 2024

   Last weekend, Nemesis had a very noteworthy experience at the regional competition at Montgomery High School. After the competition a couple weekends ago, Nemesis used the 2 week window efficiently. The team worked diligently to improve the robot, Kronos. They continuously worked on scoring in the trap in order to increase their chances of success. As for business, they were prepared to present every aspect of Nemesis to the judges, in order to paint the best possible picture of the team.

   Coming up to the competition, the robot underwent many beneficial changes. The build team made many improvements to Kronos; implementing a four piece auton, testing new hooks, and working on shooter tuning. Because they worked on scoring in the trap prior to the competition, Kronos was one of few robots that was able to score in the trap consistently. This allowed the team to gain many ranking points. Thanks to the drive team, the driving of the robot for each match was strategically executed as well. Due to all these efforts, Nemesis ended up in first place before alliance selection. Sadly, the team lost during the alliance matches, but had a great game overall.  

   The business team had a great experience as well. They gave an in-depth pit presentation for the judges that truly showcased Nemesis’s best qualities. The group had the opportunity to discuss their financial objectives, future plans for the team, and sustainability implementations. The team also spoke about their multitude of community outreach initiatives, such as their involvement with the Trenton Urban Promise, Sponsor Night, Engineering and Discovery Day, and multiple instances of global outreach. The judges loved to hear about the team’s lego recycling drive, in which they had collected over 100 pounds of legos to donate. Along with this, buttons were distributed to other teams, and the team displayed gracious professionalism throughout the competition.

   By the end of the 2nd competition day, both business and build teams had made a profound effort to make an impact for the team, and the final awards were being announced. The team waited in suspense while listening intently for each award being given, the bleachers filled with a sea of Nemesis red. When the team heard their name being announced for the Quality Award, they rejoiced, cheering loudly as they ran down the stands to take their picture. This was the moment they had been hoping for, and they couldn’t be more proud. After countless meetings, the effort of the team, and so much time spent, our hard work had paid off. Nemesis could not be happier for this accomplishment, and we are extremely grateful for it. We are beyond excited to see what the experience at MAR holds for us.

Archive

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2017 Week 5: Build Journal


Concluding Build Season’s fifth week indicates we are in the homestretch. Prototyping has come to an end, and with a finalized CAD, the Build Team is working together towards fabrication and assembly of both the practice and competition robots.

Major headway was made by the Fabrication and Design students. Night and day, hours have been poured into the machining of various parts, including the shooter, intake, climber, drivetrain, et cetera. With the drive base complete, the addition of bumpers to ensure safety is a priority.  

The Electrical Team’s schedule has been mainly comprised of testing each of the robot’s major functions. At this point, the wiring of both motors and sensors has been completed. One of this week’s Electrical successes is the practice bot’s mobility.  The Team’s new focus includes the shooter and intake functionality.

This week, the Software Team coded controls for shooting, and configured the beginning of the autonomous routine. With prototype testing complete, the Team’s focus was working on an algorithm that efficiently maximizes the robot’s mobility.  The Software team is ardently waiting to test on the competition bot.

With Build Season’s final week here, the entire team’s atmosphere reflects one of a community as members collectively work to finish the competition robot. Everyone is excited to see what our newest addition can do!

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2017 Week 4: Marketing Journal


Heading into Week 4 of Build Season, the Marketing Team’s minds were all but fixed on one thing: Sponsor Networking Night. On Wednesday evening, we all waited anxiously  as our gracious sponsors and parents began to flood the halls. With everyone assigned a sponsor or parent, we spent the night showing them our hard work. In the hallways, we were proud to explain our amazing showcases, filled with awards, trophies and achievements. In the Tech Lab, the Build Team executives revealed this year’s game, FIRST Steamworks. Meanwhile, Marketing members gave an astounding presentation of our 2016 accomplishments. The event went flawlessly, with our sponsors and parents all left with smiles on their faces. Everyone on Nemesis was elated, but at the same time slightly disappointed, as we realized that our exciting and much-awaited Sponsor Networking night had come to a close.

With the end of Sponsor Networking Night came the beginning of preparation for the Competition Season. Our team began to finalize designs for our T-Shirts, both our annual shirt and our special edition 10th year anniversary shirt. Other Marketing members worked on perfecting the Chairman's and the Woodie Flowers Awards.

The Finance Team continued to innovate and improve on the Business Plan. They are also planning to take new members of the Marketing team to businesses to interact with local sponsors.

The Logistics Team worked on the Montreal Travel Presentation and gathering every team member's schedule to determine their competition availability.

As Build Season draws to an end, Nemesis cannot wait to compete in another season of FIRST Robotics action. We look forward to the final two weeks of this exhausting, yet rewarding, experience, and can’t wait for the season to start!

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2017 Week 4: Build Journal


With the build season approaching its climax, the team has kicked production into high gear to fabricate, test, and refine their design. Most team members are spending five to eight hours in the tech lab every day, tweaking elements of the design, testing and retesting each subsystem to build a machine of maximum efficiency. Prototyping has come to a close, and a final drivetrain has been manufactured.

While the Design Subteam finalizes the CAD, the other build members continue to build upon the practice bot. The team has also begun constructing the competition bot— the practice bot’s more polished, mechanically identical twin.

The different subsystem teams are ready for integration, after successful testing with wooden prototypes. The subteams are currently waiting on their parts to be machined and assembled on the practice bot for further trials.

Meanwhile, the Electrical Subteam continues to work on wiring new motors and sensors. The Software Team has started to code the drivetrain and the prospective subsystems in advance, and is eagerly awaiting the chance to test the code on the finished product.

As week 5 approaches, members buckle up and prepare to charge FULL STEAM AHEAD!

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2017 Week 3: Build Journal


As the build season reaches its midpoint, the team reaches an all time high in productivity. With the design team coming to a final decision for the robot and the fabrication team starting to mill, router, and lathe the various parts, an image of the final product begins to take form. The drivetrain for the practice robot has been finished and dusted as our driver begins to practice driving. The electrical team is hard at work fulfilling all the needs from test boards for prototyping the electronics on the robot.

Prototyping teams are moving to finalize their designs for two shooters, a linear and a fly wheel. It’s a friendly competition within the team to see who finishes first! The intake and climber prototypes have been finalized after several successful runs of each to ensure maximum effectiveness.

After a few minor setbacks, the team worked as efficiently as possible to remain on schedule. As build season continues, our robot is coming closer and closer together, a trend we hope to continue moving into and through Week 4.

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Nemesis 2017 Competition Dates


The 2017 build season is coming to a close, and Nemesis invites you to come to one of the high energy competitions it's competing at...

Hatboro-Horsham District FRC Event: March 4-5, 2017

Hatboro-Horsham High School

899 Horsham Rd, Horsham, PA 19044

Springside Chestnut Hill Academy District Event: March 18-19, 2017

Springside Chestnut Hill Academy

500 West Willow Grove Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19118

Festival de Robotique - Montreal Regional: March 23-25, 2017

Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard

Montréal, QC, Canada

We hope to qualify for...

FIRST Mid-Atlantic District Championship: April 6-8, 2017

Stabler Arena, Lehigh University

124 Goodman Drive, Bethlehem, PA 18015

2017 FIRST Championship: April 26 - 29, 2017

Edward Jones Dome

901 N Broadway, St. Louis, MO 63101

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2017 Week 3: Marketing Journal


Chaotic and exciting are perfect ways to describe Week 3 of Build Season 2017. With Sponsor Networking Night just a few days away, Marketing Team members have had their work cut out for them! The showcases have been updated, and the Chairman’s Board is being redesigned to accommodate our ever-evolving team. The folders for Sponsor Networking Night are almost ready, as finishing touches are being made on the presentation and Executive Summary. Both members of the Marketing Team and the Build Team are refining their knowledge of the team’s FAQs, preparing to speak to sponsors on Wednesday night.

The Finance Team spent this past week speaking to current sponsors, potential sponsors, and local community businesses. The Finance Team is also comparing 2017’s financial projections with 2016’s actuals to help identify growth, in addition to continuing their updates to the Business Plan. Oh, and don’t forget about filing those taxes too!

The Logistics Team worked diligently to finalize all of our trips for the upcoming competition season, and we are especially excited to travel to Montreal for the Festival de Robotique.

With half of build season completed, everyone on Nemesis is bubbling with anticipation for the remaining weeks as well as the upcoming competition season!

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2017 Week 2: Marketing Journal


And that’s a wrap for week 2 of build season 2017! All members throughout the marketing, web, finance and logistic teams have a considerable amount of work ahead of them. With Nemesis’ Annual Sponsor Networking Night just a over a week away, everyone is on the top of there game and getting things done. The showcases are all but finished, the sponsor night trifolds are ready for printing, and the logistics team have been thinking ahead with details for impending competitions. When asked about her experience in build season week two, marketing team member Rachel Gilmer said, “When you have to do something twice, keep calm and put a smile on your face. It will all get done in good time.”

Week two of build season has been a jumble of photo editing, writing, rewriting, and adding final touches to the long-term projects started in December. The design for the “Nemesis 10 Year Anniversary” t-shirts is approaching its final draft as well as the Business Plan cover for 2017. All members of all teams are putting countless hours into their work and it is truly paying off.

In addition to their week of hard work, the girls on the marketing team (and a few build girls too!) took a trip to Freehold Raceway Mall where they went shopping for dresses and accessories for Sponsor Networking Night on February 1st and getting their makeup done at the NARS makeup counter in Lord & Taylor, receiving fresh looks for the important presentations in the days to come.

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2017 Week 2: Build Journal


During Week 2, the Build Team continued to spend their time prototyping in the Tech Lab.  As the second week of prototyping comes to an end the team made decisions about some the prototypes and finalized some designs. The CAD Team members started to recreate the finished prototype subsystems. The Build Team discussed how to best configure them on the robot.

Build Team members continued to debate strategy to determine the best course of action.

Several subteams were created to focus on different aspects of the game:

  • The Gear Subteam continued to modify and finalize their design to obtain gears from the feeder stations and deliver then to the airship.

  • The Shooter Subteam spent the week testing out two shooter prototypes for accuracy, speed, and consistency, and made the final decision about which design to use on the robot.

  • The team that worked on the robot’s climbing mechanism decided on a final design that proved to be very successful in lifting a great amount of weight.

  • The Intake Team has made several prototypes to collect fuel from the ground, hoppers, and feeder stations and continues to work on identifying the best solution.

This year’s robot is beginning to take shape. Everyone continues to put in their best efforts.  We anticipate finishing prototyping, continuing CADing throughout Week 3.

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2017 Week 1: Build Journal


It’s finally here! Planning, prototyping and long hours in the tech lab, all accented the first week of the Build Season. Starting at kickoff, we became more familiar with the objectives of our robot and what we needed to succeed in this year’s game, FIRST STEAMWORKS! Knowing that this year our robot would have to climb a rope, collect and deliver gears, be able to shoot fuel into the boilers, as well as collect fuel from the input, our analysis meeting brainstormed several brilliant strategies. We broke up into subteams, and began prototyping many different features in order to make this year’s robot the best it could possibly be.   

Here’s a quick re-cap of this week's progress made by each subteam:

The subteam working with the challenge of the gears, were able to create a path that would catch the gear and have considered multiple ways of getting it onto the spring. Over the week they have tried several variations of these parts in order to improve the success rate.   

The climbing subteam worked on two prototypes this week. Both prototypes were able to lift 110 pounds in a short amount of time. Only time will decide which version will work best with our robot design.

The sub team for the hopper worked on procuring fuel from the input.. They were able to create various prototypes this week. They tried out many designs to see which one would be the best at accomplishing the task.  

The sub team for the shooter was able to create many prototypes to see which one would work best in the game. Most of the prototypes were able to shoot a long horizontal and vertical distance at a very quick speed. One of the prototypes was able to shoot the fuel at a quicker rate.

With every subteam working diligently on various parts of the robot, it would be truly rewarding to see it eventually be cohesively integrated into the finished product!

Lots and lots of prototyping still happening. Nothing definite yet, but soon! Little by little its all coming together. We can’t wait to see what week 2 brings!

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2017 Week 1: Marketing Journal


After an exciting kickoff, the Marketing Team is busy preparing for Sponsor Networking Night. The rough draft for the slideshow and oral presentations are almost complete. Invitations have been sealed and sent. The Nemesis showcase is currently being updated with new pictures and information. Everyone is focused on putting the event together and excited to present their accomplishments from the 2016 season.  

The Finance Team is currently writing emails and grants to reach out to potential sponsors, as well as booking dates to discuss fundraising. Logistics is working on planning trips for the upcoming season. With Week 1 coming to a close, the entire marketing team is looking forward to seeing what exciting things Week 2 will bring!

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Kickoff: A Freshman Perspective


When I walked into the Montgomery High School on Saturday January 7th for the FIRST Robotic Competition 2017 Kickoff, I was both nervous and excited. I couldn't wait to find out what my life was going to be dedicated to for the upcoming season. It was thrilling to see how they presented the game. The anticipation was heavy as we waited for the other teams to arrive. We split into different groups to go to workshops. I chose Gearboxes and Drive Trains. It was nice to have a refresher for parts of the robot. Following the workshop, everyone went to see the game reveal. It was exciting seeing the different videos of the teams but the best part was finally knowing what the 2017 game was. Overall, it was really fun and everyone was incredibly welcoming.

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Full Steam Ahead: Nemesis FLIES Into 2017!


Even the threat of a winter storm could not deter them. On January 7th 2017, thousands of FIRST Robotics teams around the world held their breath as they anxiously awaited the release of the 2017 game. Each year at Kickoff, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) provides these high school robotics students with a new challenge to hone their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) skills at competitive regional, district-wide, and international events. The Kickoff marks the beginning of 6 hectic weeks to design, prototype, and build a robot to effectively address the game challenge.

On the frigid Saturday morning, robotics teams from high schools in North Brunswick, Bridgewater-Raritan, Ewing, West Windsor-Plainsboro, and Allentown joined Robbinsville's Nemesis Team 2590 at Montgomery High School for the Kickoff of the 2017 FIRST Robotics Competition season.

Before the game reveal, students were able to attend a multitude of workshops hosted by Montgomery High School's own robotics team, Cougar Robotics. Providing instruction in a variety of subjects such as gearboxes, pneumatics, sensors, and Autodesk Inventor (a CAD - Computer Aided Design - program), the workshops served as an efficient way to assist students in learning some concepts that would benefit them in the upcoming build season.

"The gearbox workshop was extremely insightful," commented Robbinsville sophomore, Morgan Serra. "It especially helps new robotics members like myself to understand this topic before we begin to brainstorm. Without this workshop I would've been totally confused throughout build season!"

Excitement buzzed through the air as teams gathered in the auditorium and waited for the NASA-TV webcast to start, live from FIRST Headquarters in Manchester, New Hampshire. As the game was revealed, the applause was deafening. Introducing the 2017 FIRST Robotics Competition challenge... FIRST Steamworks!

FIRST Steamworks, inspired by steam power technology from the Industrial Revolution, features two alliances of three robots each. The game starts with a 15 second autonomous period in which robots operate solely through pre-coded instructions. The remaining 2 minutes and 15 seconds of each match consists of fierce competition between the alliances in which robots are driven by student drivers. Each alliance's goal is to prepare their airship for takeoff by collecting as much fuel (balls) as possible and shooting it into the boiler (goals). They must also deliver gears to the pilots (human players) on their airship in the middle of the field who will install them in order to start the engines. In the last 30 seconds of the match, robots can latch onto the airship by climbing a thick rope, which earns them additional points. The alliance with the most points at the end of the match wins!

Feeling adrenalized after the game reveal, Nemesis members are already overflowing with ideas on how to design this year's robot.

“This is definitely much different from last year, especially with a drive team member on the field for the first time in FIRST Robotics history,” remarked senior and Build Executive Harsha Pavuluri. “With the many aspects of the game, I can’t wait to hear what the team comes up with!”

Nemesis will be competing at Hatboro-Horsham High School on March 4-5th, at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy on March 18-19th, and at the Festival de Robotique in Montreal, Canada on March 23-25th. Nemesis hopes to qualify for the FIRST Mid-Atlantic District Championship at Lehigh University and the FIRST Championship in St. Louis.

Nemesis would like to thank their sponsors for their continued success: Robbinsville High School, NAVAIR, CCL Label, New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Nordson, Robbinsville Education Association, Leidos, Triangle East Windsor, Skylink Technology Inc., Northstar Vets, RAS Process Equipment, Designtree, EAG, Princeton Sports and Family Medicine, Robbinsville Education Foundation, Lockheed Martin, SRI International, McGraw Hill Financial, Siemens, and Investors Bank.

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Discovering Innovation and Technology-- Discovery Day 2016


On the weekend of December 3rd, over 120 second through sixth grade students flocked to the RHS Tech Lab for Robotics Discovery Day. Here, they learned and experienced the thrill of an engineering challenge, with the guidance of Nemesis team members, many of whom participated as campers in Discovery Day themselves. Captivated, students engaged in each of the four exciting activities that Nemesis had in store for them: building a robot to meet a game-inspired challenge, talking and dancing with the team’s humanoid NAO Robot, driving Daedalus, the award-winning 2016 robot, and attending a presentation and Q & A session with a Robbinsville FIRST Lego League (FLL) team.

Four FLL teams, Nerd Herd, Shockwave, IDK, and Electrons were inspired by the success of Nemesis. This year they built LEGO NXT robots and competed in the FLL Animal Allies Challenge. Their robots used color sensors and extensive programming to navigate their courses and deliver “food” to all of the “animals” scattered throughout their landscape.

The campers, divided into teams of two and guided by Nemesis members, worked on exciting LEGO projects. The younger campers participated in the Parachute Challenge where the ultimate goal was to drop a parachute crafted out of LEGOs and napkins from the second story walkway using a student-designed contraption. More advanced campers competed in the Catapult Challenge, using LEGO Mindstorms to engineer and build a motorized ping-pong shooting catapult. Campers who desired a more challenging exercise were invited to take on the Maze Challenge. Our most determined campers built NXT robots that utilized color sensors to navigate a maze. Nemesis member, Kaitlyn Young, who worked with the young students, was very impressed. “Watching my campers believe they can do anything,” she said, “filled me with pride.”

Discovery Day revolves around exposing young students to the ever-changing worlds of science and technology. Marketing Team member Rachel Gillmer offered her perspective on the success of the event, saying, “It was enlightening to watch these campers push themselves to learn new and exciting skills.” Ensuring campers are passionate about STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) is essential to the future of Nemesis and robotics programs everywhere. Discovery Day 2016 was a great opportunity to get young campers involved. Campers who participated in Discovery Day left feeling enthusiastic about all that they accomplished and more passionate about robotics that ever before.

Only 364 days until Discovery Day 2017! See you next year!

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Nemesis 2590 Library Demonstration 2016


Energetic young children and their eager parents gathered at the Robbinsville Public Library for a visit from Nemesis. On November 5, 2016 Nemesis team members gave a demonstration of their award-winning 2016 competition robot, Daedalus. Awestruck and amazed, the young children watched as Daedalus shot boulders into totes and moved effortlessly, gliding across the room.

The young attendees and their parents became intrigued with the world of FIRST Robotics. The demonstration began with a brief description of the 2016 game, FIRST Stronghold, a medieval game of Capture The Castle. Later, an explanation of how Daedalus functions, and a visit from our NAO robot enchanted the children. After seeing Daedalus in action, the attendees could not believe that a high school team made such an impressive robot in such a short amount of time.

During the presentation, the children had the opportunity to act as Daedalus–going over and under obstacles and even “storming the castle” by shooting balls into a tote. Nemesis members were often asked questions about their robot and how FIRST changed their lives. One mother of a five year old boy expressed her gratitude to the team, saying, “You have no idea how much he loves robotics and coding. Seeing teenagers doing what he wants to do when he gets older makes him feel like he can do anything.” Her comment showed the team how much of an influence STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) education has on the elementary school students, and how programs like FIRST Robotics can make going into a STEAM field a dream for many.  

After watching the demonstration, many of the parents asked how they could get their children involved in robotics and start up their own team for younger students. Luckily, Nemesis has had their annual Discovery Day on December 3th and 4th where students from second to sixth grade have the opportunity to build and program Lego Mindstorms to complete open ended challenges. There, local FIRST Lego League teams will be on hand to answer any questions they have.

Everyone left the event proclaiming how much fun they had learning about the exciting world of FIRST. Nemesis would like to thank the Robbinsville Public Library, and especially Michelle Cromwell, for the opportunity to expose share their love of robots with the community.