Well, I was impressed by everything at the 2005 IRI, because it was the first time I had ever seen FIRST robots in action. I was dumbfounded. And I loved it. The first robot to catch my attention there, would have to have been Pink's. It was fast and effective.
Now that I'm actually aware of what a build season is like, I can honestly say, every robot fascinates me to some degree. I can't explain it. I want to know how each team got their robot to work, and what made them come up with certain ideas. Everything is intriguing, and simply being a part of it inspires me.
This year, I was impressed with unique designs that worked...365, 126, 910, and of course 330 and 71. I also have to say I was inspired by all of the hybrids, especially the ones that could do both really well, because I could never have figured out how to accomplish ramping or both with that amount of speed and accuracy. 1501 was a strong lift, and I liked that one a lot. It was easy to get on and a fast lift.
I am greatly inspired by autonomous modes that work as well. I did programming when I was in VEX in 2006, and it was the hardest thing to try and figure out. (And that was on a lot smaller and easier scale.) I look up to all of the programmers out there, who are masters of their skills.
Really though, when looking at a robot, a six-week masterpiece of countless hours of work and sleepless nights, glowing with passion and dedication; who couldn't be inspired?