Old Man Notices A Thing: Lots of Robot Names

[Ben Martin]

In 2013, we named the robot Tyrannosaucer Rex because someone decided to decorate it like a T-Rex.

For 2014-2016, we have had fire-themed names
2014: DJ Fireball
2015: Phoenix
2016: CrossFire

Some of the students called last year's practice robot "black market robot," but it was never official. This year's practice bot is just called the practice bot.

We also currently have an additional practice defense bot name Tech-stinguisher.

[TheOwlOfTruth]

I don't know if it's just me, but I've noticed a lot of robot names with variations on the word "scorpion" (see "scorpio" as well). Just hoping that we don't end up having an alliance with three robots with the same name

[techhelpbb]

Several of our robots have names that are not suitable for public consumption.
Not sure that helps but if you linger around the shop long enough you'll learn this tribal knowledge .

[BaronVonRhett]

On our team, all our robots have names. In my time, we have had 2014) Gunny 2015)Jake and Elwood 2016) Mittens. It is honestly much easier at least from the team prospective to call the robots by their name (plus hilarious to hear Mittens called out by the announcer.)

[fargus111111111]

343's students always name our robots and we generally try to name them something relavent to that specific robot, for example our 2015 robot is named Armstrong, it has big arms, our 06 robot is named cyclone, it has a spirally thingy that brings the balls from the floor intake to the shooter. I personally love the robots having their own unique names that make them easily identifiable and it allows for "dedication" to someone as we have done twice, 2010, John O'Connor, JOC, a former student who died in a car accident, and 2007, Andre, the janitor who helped us out ALOT.

I will say that I do not remember the names of other teams' robots and refer to them simply by team number then year, however I do know the robot names for most of our 17 competition robots and I refer to them by name most o the time.

[BBray_T1296]

I have spoken to several alumni of other teams who refer to their teams robots by name in conversation. While the teams themselves are well known, stating the robot's name without a year for context means absolutely nothing to me. I may remember exactly what your robot looked like in 2010 but I haven't a clue what it was called.

[trumpthero786]

STORM Robotics has been going in alphabetical order since our sophomore year as a team.

2009: Stormy
2010: Brave Beckham
2011: Crimson Claw
2012: Donald Duct
2013: Electra
2014: Fonzie
2015: Genesis
2016: Hephaestus

[Dancin103]

From what I can remember...

1999: Crusher
2000: Cattywampus
2003: Little Box of Terror
2004: Monkey Business
2005: X-Factor
2006: Triple Threat
2007: Screwball
2008: Apex
2010: Serendipity
2011: Tower of Terror
2012: Echo Charlie
2013: Little Box of Terror 2
2015: DELTA
2016: Punch

[qscgy]

We generally take nominations around week 4 of build season, when the robot design is mostly finalized, and then do a name vote a couple weeks later. The name is usually some sort of pun.

2016: R.O.U.S.
2015:Totedile
2014: Ballbasaur
2013: Panda
2012: Bowser's Castle
2011: Dr. Aughn
2010: Caspian
2009: Archie
2008: Eddie (Edward Scissor Lift)

[Phoenix Spud]

We have always named the robot something Australian themed with the practice robot getting a "fun" name:

2010: Wombot
2011: That's Not a Knife (T-NAK) with mini-bot Spoon
2012 practice: Mothslayer
2012: MATE
2013 practice: 10Cims
2013: Ikara (throwing stick in an Aboriginal language)
2014 practice: Enterprise
2014: Maloo (thunder in an Aboriginal language)
2015 practice: Cockroach
2015: Kosciuszko (tallest mountain in Australia)
2015 WARC (China trip): Dapao (Cannon in Chinese)
2016 practice: Excali-plier
2016: Aragung (shield in an Aboriginal language)

[Ken Streeter]

Originally Posted by Joe Johnson

Since I have been on teams that have named their robots and chassis, it is so much better. ...

3 questions...

First, what do you think about the whole naming robots thing?

We on 1519 have always named our robots, usually shortly before our first event, when the robot is mostly completed, once the robot's character has evidenced itself.

Well, except for 2007, when we never came up with a robot name. Our 2007 robot was also the least successful robot we've ever had. We set our objectives too high, and never finished either of the major capabilities that we intended. (See Second-System Effect.) At the one and only regional we went to that year, we nearly exclusive played defense. Ironically, it was the highest seeding position (#3) we would ever have at a regular season tournament until our sixth year in 2010.

(To this day, I don't know if we didn't name the robot because it wasn't deserving of a name, or if it was because we didn't name the robot that it didn't perform as intended.)

In any case, since then, we've always named our robot!

Originally Posted by Joe Johnson

Second, can you share names that you especially like/dislike?

Team 1519's robot names are as follows:

• 2005 - Elvis, the King of Rack and Rail (our tetra-placing mechanism used a rack traveling on a rail)
• 2006 - Sergeant York (after the famous sharpshooter from World War I)
• 2007 -
• 2008 - Fezzik and Speed Racer (our dual-configuration robot)
• 2009 - Colonel York (our fictitious name if Sergeant York were promoted)
• 2010 - Vortex (used a vacuum to hold the soccer ball, making all the noise of a vacuum cleaner)
• 2011 - Kanga and Roo (Roo was the minibot)
• 2012 - General Vesuvius (general in the sergeant-> colonel theme for our "shooting" robots; Vesuvius for the way the partially completed robot had spouted basketballs out the top of the harvester like a volcano spewing lava bombs)
• 2013 - Discobolus Rex (after the Greek discus thrower)
• 2014 - Kaizen ("continuous improvement" and partly in remembrance of Team #1276, Kaizen Blitz, the alliance captain that picked us in our first ever regional win back in 2006.)
• 2015 - King Tote-n-Can-um (stacks totes and cans...)
• 2016 - Lady Launch-a-Lot (our medieval boulder launcher)

Originally Posted by Joe Johnson

Third, am I just getting old** or are more teams this year giving their robots real names this year?

No idea. In general, I don't know the names of other teams' robots and wouldn't anticipate they'd know our team's robot names, either.

However, we are getting old, Joe!

[Dwight_2]

Originally Posted by Joe Johnson

Not the weightiest of topics but after years of having a conversation that was something like this:

Person One: "I think we should have [Fill in robot feature] just like we had on CD-[Fill in robot sequence number]."
Person Two: "No no, that was CD-[Fill in different robot sequence number]"
Person One: "No, I don't mean THAT feature, I mean THIS OTHER feature."
Person Three: "You're both wrong. We actually had that mechanism first on CD-[Fill in lower robot sequence number]
Persons One and Two: "What? You're crazy. We're not even taking about that mechanism and even if we were, you have the robot number wrong. The robot you are thinking of was CD-[Different Number] for [Fill in FIRST's Official Name of Game]."
Person Three: "You mean [Fill in Common Name of Game, example, The Soccer Year]?"
Persons One and Two: "YES!"
Person Three: "Oh yeah, you're right. Please continue..."

I have come around to the idea that robots should have names, actual names and names of the form "TeamNameOrIntialsOrIconicPhrase"-"NumberOfYearsTeamExisted" don't count. In fact, I go even farther, practice robots and concept chassis should have actual names too.

TeamName_SequenceNumber names have some positives (specifically you can know which robot was built before/after another) but on the negative side, I believe you give up the ability to have a real conversation about robot without having to get into conversation like the above.

Since I have been on teams that have named their robots and chassis, it is so much better. I still sometimes get corrected about a robot but no more than the number of times I call my son CJ by my daughter's name Sarah* (I'm terrible with names).

Seriously, year's hence do you think there will be any doubt about what Robonaut (#118) robot you are taking about when you say "Arsenal" or which Overclocked (#246) robot will be taking about when we say "Scorpion"? No, no there will not.

So... I have 3 questions and I'm out of here.

First, what do you think about the whole naming robots thing?

Second, can you share names that you especially like/dislike?

Third, am I just getting old** or are more teams this year giving their robots real names this year?

Discuss.

Dr. Joe J.

*i.e. about as often as random chance would predict -- I'm terrible with names, but I blame my mom. She still calls me Ruthie more often than I deserve ;-)

**Old people being famous for noticing something and then deciding that the thing came into existence the second they first became aware of it. Actually, when I frame it like that, young people are guilty of this too. Perhaps my introductory phrase should be "Am I just being a human or.."?

I completely agree, I think its kinda cheating when you use those types of names.... Last year we had a practice bot named Sir Flaps A Lot because of our intake mechanism we had on it and we thought that probably would be a good name to call our competition bot so we named our comp. robot the Black Kight to go with the color and our team mascot. we also do VEX and Battlebots as a club at our school and we have always named them.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by Joe Johnson

Not the weightiest of topics but after years of having a conversation that was something like this:

Person One: "I think we should have [Fill in robot feature] just like we had on CD-[Fill in robot sequence number]."
Person Two: "No no, that was CD-[Fill in different robot sequence number]"
Person One: "No, I don't mean THAT feature, I mean THIS OTHER feature."
Person Three: "You're both wrong. We actually had that mechanism first on CD-[Fill in lower robot sequence number]
Persons One and Two: "What? You're crazy. We're not even taking about that mechanism and even if we were, you have the robot number wrong. The robot you are thinking of was CD-[Different Number] for [Fill in FIRST's Official Name of Game]."
Person Three: "You mean [Fill in Common Name of Game, example, The Soccer Year]?"
Persons One and Two: "YES!"
Person Three: "Oh yeah, you're right. Please continue..."

I have come around to the idea that robots should have names, actual names and names of the form "TeamNameOrIntialsOrIconicPhrase"-"NumberOfYearsTeamExisted" don't count. In fact, I go even farther, practice robots and concept chassis should have actual names too.

TeamName_SequenceNumber names have some positives (specifically you can know which robot was built before/after another) but on the negative side, I believe you give up the ability to have a real conversation about robot without having to get into conversation like the above.

Since I have been on teams that have named their robots and chassis, it is so much better. I still sometimes get corrected about a robot but no more than the number of times I call my son CJ by my daughter's name Sarah* (I'm terrible with names).

Seriously, year's hence do you think there will be any doubt about what Robonaut (#118) robot you are taking about when you say "Arsenal" or which Overclocked (#246) robot will be taking about when we say "Scorpion"? No, no there will not.

So... I have 3 questions and I'm out of here.

First, what do you think about the whole naming robots thing?

Second, can you share names that you especially like/dislike?

Third, am I just getting old** or are more teams this year giving their robots real names this year?

Discuss.

Dr. Joe J.

*i.e. about as often as random chance would predict -- I'm terrible with names, but I blame my mom. She still calls me Ruthie more often than I deserve ;-)

**Old people being famous for noticing something and then deciding that the thing came into existence the second they first became aware of it. Actually, when I frame it like that, young people are guilty of this too. Parhaps my introductory phrase should be "Am I just being a human or.."?

I am actually in charge of the robot naming on the team. I go around and take nominations from every team member and compile a list (the rule is it should either be tied into something with an X in it. Cat themed or related to the game). I delete anything that doesn't meet the criteria or is obscene (one of our students nominate Classy Cat which is the name of a well known strip joint in the area)and at the end of the meeting we put the name up to a vote. It's kind of a big deal on the team. I even make logos for the robots and make burrons to give away.
I remember back in 2005 our robot coach, Brittany and spirit leader, Lizzy really wanted to name the robot X-WhAAAt!?! (which horrified the mentors) and actively campaigned amongst the students to vote for that name which ended up winning (much to the mentors horror). Lizzie and Brittany actually came up with a cheer for the name and all sorts of idea and itt was our most successful robot ever.
Previous robot names:
2005: X-WhAAAt!?!
2006 = XOX-Cat
2007 = X-Static
2008 = Xtender
2009 = Apollo X
2010 = X-Force
2011 = LegXXcy
2012 = Exxio Auditonimous
2013 = SphinX
2014 = Xcelente'
2015 = XCycler
2016 = Sir X Alot

[Carol]

I think robot names are nice when you are discussing past competitions - ex., "we used this type of motor for CamMOElot". It also gives new students a sense of a brand, a sense of the history of the team.

Each year MOE 365 has a contest to name the robot where the team votes on team members' name suggestions. (Also for team shirt designs, which is another thread.) The name must have MOE in it and hopefully, but not always, reflective of the year's theme. Examples:

CaMOElot
TerMOEnator
MOEhawk
DynaMOE

After so many years, it is getting hard to think up names, but the students always come through!

[Billfred]

Since a spammer decided to revive this thread...

I've been on a few different teams over the years, and each had its own method of going about it.

1293 (2004-2006): No particular pattern--it drifted around a few times. Bob, Ockham's Raizor (and Hockham), Chomp (and Circumstance)

1618 (2007-2009): By about 2:00 PM at my first event with them, with me nursing a sore jaw from the arm whacking me and the team deciding to rename the robot on the spot, the pattern was simple: whatever the malady was, at least until their final year when we decided to get stylish. What Robot? Uppercut, Speedy Debris, The Blackout

2815 (2009-2013): This might be the most notorious naming system in FIRST--to the point that when we gave our alliance partners shirts for picking us, they couldn't wear them to school. Y'see, 2815 was started at the University of South Carolina, home of the Gamecocks, where the fight song goes like this. Co-founder Stephen Kowski set the precedent of honoring the mascot in the robot name, and it just stuck until the team (after my departure) moved to the high school and rebranded for 2015. Cocked and Loaded, $@#$@#$@#$@#-A-Doodle-Doo, Cockasaurus Rex, Incocknito, Cocket Launcher

4901 (2014-2016): 4901 operated out of 2815's corner of the USC shop after they vacated. 2815 hadn't rebranded in 2014, and while both teams had the same garnet and black on that year we knew naming our robots the same way would be unabashed gimmick infringement. (And, frankly, we were having to veto more and more would-be robot names towards the end.) So we drew inspiration from elsewhere on campus. Sandstorm I, Sandstorm II, Sandstorm III