[akeisic]

Most innovative? Off the top of my head a couple of robots stand out in my mind...(and going back a little)

2000: Team 47: Swerve drive. I can't say for sure, but they might have been the first team to use a swerve drive. The rest of the robot was spectacular - and I don't think they ever used their "jaw" feature in competition. I'm still impressed by this robot!

2000: Team 25: The cherry picker robot. While I never saw the robot up close, you knew no one else built anything like it.

2001: Team 267: The only team to LIFT a goal. They may not have had enormous success that year, but those goals were heavy! See the pictures I posted.

2002: Team 71: The walker robot. This is the robot that forced the rule about metal contact with the carpet. Starting from vertical, the robot flopped, grabbed 3 goals and then "walked" to victory. I think it's the only walker FIRST bot built.
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2008: Team 1114: I don't think most people can even imagine the robot they designed. No other team manipulated the ball the way they did.

2009: Team 148: The way they picked up the balls, stored them and ejected them was amazing - amazingly simple too! While they weren't the only bot of the type, they perfected the design.

2010: Team 469: Duh!