Top Ten Bots of 2000

FIRST General Forum
1

Posted by Andy Grady.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]

Coach on team #42, P.A.R.T.S, from Alvirne High School and Daniel Webster College.

Posted on 6/1/2000 9:18 PM MST

Ok, im gonna get gutsy here and im gonna give out my list of who my top 10 teams were this year. Im throwing out this list in hopes of getting conversation goin on this board, due to everyone sleeping. So what do you think of the list? Who is your top 10? Keep in mind that this list does not necessarily reflect how good teams were, but the teams that got my attention the most. Without further adue, here is the list…

  1. Team 177 International Fuel Cells and South Windsor HS: These guys make the list due to the fact that they were probably the most enigmatic team to me. I looked at them in awe everytime they were out there and every time i asked myself three questions…1.How the heck does that thing not tip over, 2. How the heck is that thing underweight?, 3.HOW THE HECK DOES THAT THING NOT TIP OVER, ITS SO HUGE!?! Either way, I thought the thing was cool, so they make number 10.

  2. Team 293 Morehouse and Hopewell: These guys make the top 10 for being what I feel is the most underated team ever to play the game. How does a team that wins 2 regionals not get picked to go to the elims at the nationals? The obviously must have known what they were doing, they may have been small, but they were good, for that they make number 9.

  3. Team 95 Lebanon Robotics Team: Speed Kills, these guys show it. I just jumped up in my seat and went wild every time they slammed into the wall on the opposite side of the field. Otherwise i just loved this robot flat out.

  4. Team 10 Banner Engineering and Benild-St.Margrets School: How can you not love Big Jimmy the Wedgebot. Everyone who knows me knows how I feel about agressive play, so as you can imagine these guys were among my favorites.

  5. Team 102 Ortho and Somerville: Another one of the teams that i feel was highly underated. These guys could do everything but go under the 30’ bar. Plus with an 11 ball capacity and the ability to steal balls, these guys were awsome, not to mention how much fun they were to watch when they emptied that huge basket of theirs.

  6. Team 126 Nypro and Clinton: Just to answer those of you who know me, I swear im not being biased on this one. With the combination of strategy, speed, and just overall skill, these guys were awsome, not to mention fun to watch also.

  7. Team 111 Motorola and Rolling Meadows: Same reasons why i liked Nypro so much, with an extreemly higher ball capacity. Definately one of the teams most feared in the competition.

  8. Team 47 Delphi and Pontiac Central: The other most feared robot in the competition, and why not! This was the most amazing piece of machinery I have seen in all my years of FIRST. They were crazy ball manipulators and ya just gotta respect that drive system. Definatly one of my all time favorite robots to watch.

  9. Team 131 Osram and Central HS: This robot was utterly amazing. At first it looks harmless enough, until you see it emptying the goal right in front of your eyes. Ask all those teams who put all that work into filling up to goal, just to see their score dissapear in seconds. No team out there with the possible exeption of team 25 could make you scramble to change strategies like Chaos.

  10. Team 25 Bristol Meyers and North Brunswick Township HS: I remember the first time I saw this robot in New Jersey, I sat there and watched the thing slowly pick up ball by ball from the ground and place them in the goal. At the time I didn’t think to much of them, but there was just something about them that made me very curious. Soon after I saw their real strategy as they hooked the goal and started stealing balls from one goal and placing them in the other. In the first few matches they were fairly slow at it, so I wasn’t really expecting to see them very much in the elims. However after getting picked as team 293’s second pick, we all saw exactly how awsome this machine was. They totally tore apart other teams by theft and using that long arm to block, leading them to the regional championship in Jersey. A fluke right? Heck no! Once again these guys came out in Florida and did their normal thing in the qualifiers with a fair ranking. But many picks went by and these guys weren’t goin. Well someone at NASA must have been doin their homework because these guys were a steal as a second pick. And once again another gold medal. Congrats team 25 for being the most impressive robot out there in my eyes.

So there it is. The top ten in my eyes. What do you all think? See anything differently? Keep in mind this is only opinion, and does not mean your robot didn’t have skill equal or better than any of the teams on the list. Until next year, good job to all of you.
Andy Grady, Team 42 DWC/Alvirne HS

2

Posted by colleen.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]

Coach on team #246, a FIRST-aholic, from John D. O’Byrant High School/Boston Latin Academy and NSTAR/Boston University/UTC/Raytheon/MassPEP.

Posted on 6/1/2000 10:15 PM MST

In Reply to: Top Ten Bots of 2000 posted by Andy Grady on 6/1/2000 9:18 PM MST:

with less explanation than my volleyball and robo-drivin’ partner andy had to say

  1. The ‘Wedge’ bots - i’m a girl who eyes defense… those bots were sweet… and nothing beats the attitude those awesome SPAM people were always displaying… rock on…

  2. 312 - Baxter Tampa Bay - hey, i watched these guys in awe over the internet broadcast of the KSC regional… it was a sweet bot with a lot to offer…

  3. The other Baxter 16 - the BOMB as always

  4. 157 - Assabet… the team from across town always does us proud… although i’m tempted to say they can’t top their robot from last year… the '00 bot was also a work of art (and tough bot)

  5. 177 - …those cat like reflexes :-)… i loved the way these guys hung…

  6. 126 - i must say… the venture from the ‘box’ robot worked for them this year… it was sleek…

  7. 131 - quick and efficient… although i’ve never been a fan of ‘one by one’ pickup robots, this guys executed their moves sweetly and could beat most ‘multi-ball’ scoring robots… gotta hand it to them…

  8. 111 - wildstang… you make my heart sing…

  9. 175 - every reason to smile… love the team, love the sportsmanship and constant friendly attitude… loooooove the bot… quick, efficient, sturdy, awesome…

  10. 47 - you guys put me in awe every year… smooth moves, quickness, efficiency… it’s all there- you guys have got it down… unfortunately, that makes you often a ‘target’ of play, but you guys always stick it through, do well, and impress me once again - keep up the great work in all aspects of FIRST

:wink: 'course my own teams 'bot hold spot ‘0’ on the top ten list… it -almost- works again… just took us a little more than 2 weeks to get the hang of this 2-speed tranny thing… but any team that can (and has with witnesses) push and/or pull over 1000 pounds has to hold some spot… so 246 gets that :slight_smile: hehe

keep the faith
-colleen

3

Posted by Lora Knepper.

Student on team #69, HYPER (Helping Youth Pursue Engineering & Robotics), from Quincy Public Schools and The Gillette Company.

Posted on 6/2/2000 12:18 AM MST

In Reply to: Top Ten Bots of 2000 posted by Andy Grady on 6/1/2000 9:18 PM MST:

There are too many teams I want to put down, so a top 10 is just not enough space!! But I’ll try anyway…

  1. Team 188- Blizzard, our Force from the North. I suppose I’m a bit biased on this one after these guys bailed us out as great allies at Rumble last year, but they had an overall impressive looking bot and a great team to talk to.

  2. SPAM and Big Jimmy. Ahhh…the wedge bots! After playing with the original wedge from team 168 last year, I gained an even higher respect for what these little bots can do. They truly follow the Chief Delphi motto of ‘Simplify’ – and lose nothing in the process.

  3. Chief Delphi – The name that gives me nightmares between shipping and the end of competition! A bot that makes my jaw drop is their trademark, and this year was not any different.

  4. PARTS – Team 42. Andy, I’m STILL trying to figure out how you designed that basket!! Maybe by next year I’ll have a clue… Hey, the bot was neat to watch, and the team was incredible. My team loved the person dressed as the traffic cone… :wink:

  5. Team 126, Nypro/Clinton. No matter the history between my team and theirs, this bot took high marks in my book. A great scorer and a fast machine, I was impressed everytime they took the field.

  6. CHAOS – Team 131. Speed and grace define the latest machine from CHAOS. I was in awe of them every time they took the field, and their team was always there cheering and just causing general chaos…competition wouldn’t be the same without them.

  7. RAGE – Team 173. Partnered with BUZZ in New England, these guys sent my anxiety through the roof this year, but then, they always do even alone! Graceful and very very fast, I think playing them shortened my life span by about 2 years or so…

  8. Sunseekers – Team 237. All I can say is ‘wow!’ What a great little bot this machine was. After we tipped in the NE Regional, I remember watching them singlehandedly win the match against 2 very good opponants. No doubt that they were meant to win the Regional. Plus, this team had a table of spare parts to help out those in need.

  9. Bobcat Robotics – Team 177. Again, I’m prolly a bit biased, but who cares :wink: this is my top 10. I’m still waiting for Kirsten and Eric to swallow my bot into that monster basket one of these days. Hey, I hope you guys are ‘gracious professionals’ at BattleCry!!

  10. B.O.R.G – Team 483. As a driver of one of the few monkey bots out there, I saw this machine and fell in love. Though hampered by some problems, this machine was impressive in my eyes the few times I had the chance to see them on the field. I’m still trying to figure out how they pulled off the design they did, for they had none of the problems that plagued my team, namely ‘tippyness’ Hats off to you guys, I can’t wait to see what comes out of your camp next year! --Monkeys all the way!

Lora

4

Posted by Dante.

Student on team #47, Chief Delphi, from Pontiac Central High School and Delphi Automotive Systems.

Posted on 6/2/2000 4:23 AM MST

In Reply to: Top Ten Bots of 2000 posted by Andy Grady on 6/1/2000 9:18 PM MST:

Well Andy, I didn’t get a chance to see every robot at Nationals, sooooo I am going to rate around the Midwest area. My top 10 picks:

  1. 201-VistaFeds-excellent machine, could do everything with speed.

  2. 249-Bulldogs-they were an awesome machine. they could also do everything and they could do it fast.

8.71-Beatty-The name speaks for itself. They always have an excellent machine.

7.33-The Bees-they had a competitive robot that got alot of awards.

6.67-T3-this team could hang with any robot out there.Just an awesome machine.

5.68-Hotbot-you couldn’t keep’em down. This team could really hurt you if you didn’t keep your eye on them.

we are getting closer!

4.349-Int. Academy-This robot impressed me. The thing I loved the most was the fact that they could climb over other robots to hang.

  1. 1-probably the most powerful robot in FIRST. Andy, This was also an underrated team that didn’t get picked for eliminating rounds at Nationals. could get anybody off of that bar.

  2. 65-Huskies-My cross town rivalry. Man, I was really impressed with Northern’s robot. They always have a competitive robot that is challenging for everybody.

  3. 111-Wildstang- Just a magnificient robot. They could work with anybody and compete with anybody. My mouth hit the floor when I seen there robot in action.

5

Posted by Erin.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]

Student on team #1, The Juggernauts, from Oakland Technical Center-Northeast Campus and 3-Dimensional Services.

Posted on 6/4/2000 8:53 PM MST

In Reply to: Re: Top Ten Bots of 2000-Midwest area. posted by Dante on 6/2/2000 4:23 AM MST:

Dante-

I guess we get left out because not many people get to see us in action. Don’t you agree that it’s hard to compete when you are from the midwest and all of the teams picking are from the northeast New England region? When you are from one area, you tend to pick the teams you know…

I know alot of midwest teams felt the burn of having New England / Jersey and West Coast dominated picking rounds.

Ahh well, life goes on.

-Erin

6

Posted by Erin.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]

Student on team #1, The Juggernauts, from Oakland Technical Center-Northeast Campus and 3-Dimensional Services.

Posted on 6/4/2000 8:55 PM MST

In Reply to: Re: Top Ten Bots of 2000-Midwest area. posted by Erin on 6/4/2000 8:53 PM MST:

I would like to say congratulations to team 47- Chief Delphi- on being the one team that is dominating everyone’s opinion on the top ten best bots.

You guys are universal.

-Erin

7

Posted by Dante.

Student on team #47, Chief Delphi, from Pontiac Central High School and Delphi Automotive Systems.

Posted on 6/5/2000 12:11 AM MST

In Reply to: Congrats to 47******* posted by Erin on 6/4/2000 8:55 PM MST:

: I would like to say congratulations to team 47- Chief Delphi- on being the one team that is dominating everyone’s opinion on the top ten best bots.

: You guys are universal.

: -Erin

Erin,

They weren’t on my list!!! JK!!!

Dante`

8

Posted by Lora Knepper.

Student on team #69, HYPER (Helping Youth Pursue Engineering & Robotics), from Quincy Public Schools and The Gillette Company.

Posted on 6/5/2000 8:04 AM MST

In Reply to: Re: Congrats to 47*******… posted by Dante on 6/5/2000 12:11 AM MST:

What would a top 10 be without the Chief?? Besides, we can’t exactly leave you guys out when posting on your own forums! Only kidding, you guys had a fabulous machine as always Dante, and I can’t wait to see the 2001 bot on the field. =)

Lora

9

Posted by Lora Knepper.

Student on team #69, HYPER (Helping Youth Pursue Engineering & Robotics), from Quincy Public Schools and The Gillette Company.

Posted on 6/5/2000 8:01 AM MST

In Reply to: Re: Top Ten Bots of 2000-Midwest area. posted by Erin on 6/4/2000 8:53 PM MST:

: I know alot of midwest teams felt the burn of having New England / Jersey and West Coast dominated picking rounds.

Erin, quite a few New England teams felt that ‘burn’ too. Though I do agree that you tend to stick with the teams you work closer with, and regions often play a huge factor. But with so many teams going to other regionals, often very far away, maybe this will change with time.

Lora

10

Posted by Amy .

Student on team #126, Gael Force, from Clinton High and NYPRO.

Posted on 6/2/2000 2:40 PM MST

In Reply to: Top Ten Bots of 2000 posted by Andy Grady on 6/1/2000 9:18 PM MST:

I didn’t have an opportunity to see all of the robots I would have liked to play in match because I spent most of my time in the pit, but here goes…

  1. Team 157-I liked the ball capacity and its ability to go under the 30’ bar. 157 had a versatile robot, which is important for strategy.

9.All of the little guys who could defend-246, a couple of others in the 240’s, and many more who wouldn’t even think of letting the opponent near their goal(that’s kind of a general statement, i know). These robots were great to have as an alliance partner but frustrating as opponents.

8.Team 175-I definitely underestimated how important defense would be! 175 could empty a goal in a matter of seconds.

7.Team 190-Excellent control. Congrats on the Honeywell Leadership in Controls Award at the New England Regional.

6.Team 173-Speed and ball capacity

5.Team 102-The team everyone was talking about on our team after their regional. I guess I’m a little biased on that one, but 102 had an excellent robot nonetheless.

4.Team 47-One of the most intimidating robots. Sturdy and strong with strategic use of bumpers.

  1. Team 25-Another intimidating robot…I still have nightmares about it, and I really get a kick out of the fact that I can hear myself scream as they rob us of our black ball in the NASA Video. 25 had a great design.

  2. Team 111-The robot equivalent of the ‘intimidation serve’ in volleyball. Very similar to Gael Force, but Wild Stang could hold more balls, and I admit, I was afraid.

  3. Team 131-I guess I’m kinda partial to 131, but they did have an awesome robot. When I first saw it at regionals, I wasn’t such a big fan of the two-ball capacity, but 131 had the speed to make up for it.

Congrats to everyone on all of your accomplishments this year, and good luck!

11

Posted by Patrick Seeney.

Student on team #469, Las Guerrillas, from Oakland Robotics and Lawrence Technological University and Magna Seating Systems, Nachi and Kuka Robotics.

Posted on 6/2/2000 5:20 PM MST

In Reply to: Top Ten Bots of 2000 posted by Andy Grady on 6/1/2000 9:18 PM MST:

Here are my top 10 robots who made an impression on my team and I.

10)310 - I think this is the team number, a team from Ford. Sat on the ramp, and their arm could reach all the way across the trough, about 12 feet minimum. I absolutlely loved this robot. They could defend trough’s with the best of them.

9)1- Something about them, they always managed to make it to the finals, or make it far.

8)349- Great hanging, amazing speed, even when they were restricted on hanging at nationals, they were able to work around it.

7)Spam Bot- Hey what can i say, they gave us a strong battle for the ramp. A great defensive powerful robot.

6)47- What can I say, veterans, always kept people wondering if they could hang or not. I am reminded of Great Lakes quarter finals, they had the field to themselves, and pulled each ball out of the opposing trough.

5)33- Killer Bees-Powerful robot, i loved the two speed on the fly mechanism, awesome robot. A looker as well.

4)360 - Quick 6 wheeled robot, could hang with the best of them, a great ally, a great team.

3)308 - Robostars- Single ball picker, but perfect defense, probably one of my favorite teams out there.

2)68 - HOT Team - Awesome speed, awesome power, i would not want to mess with a team who tests the strength of their bot by running it full speed in to metal beams.

1)111 - Wildstang - I mean come on, 10 ball capacity, a complex, yet consistant robot. I was just glad we didn’t have to go up against them, I dont know how Cornelius would have handled them. Just my favorite robot.

12

Posted by Adam Krajewski.

Student on team #68, Truck Town Terror, from Walled Lake Central High School and General Motors Truck Group.

Posted on 6/2/2000 10:11 PM MST

In Reply to: Re: Top Ten Bots of 2000 posted by Patrick Seeney on 6/2/2000 5:20 PM MST:

: 2)68 - HOT Team - Awesome speed, awesome power, i would not want to mess with a team who tests the strength of their bot by running it full speed in to metal beams.

Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch.
Team 68 is the Truck Town Terror.
Team 67 is HOT.
I’m insulted, but no perminent harm done. :slight_smile:

Adam

13

Posted by Patrick Seeney.

Student on team #469, Las Guerrillas, from Oakland Robotics and Lawrence Technological University and Magna Seating Systems, Nachi and Kuka Robotics.

Posted on 6/2/2000 11:43 PM MST

In Reply to: Re: Top Ten Bots of 2000 posted by Adam Krajewski on 6/2/2000 10:11 PM MST:

: Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouch.
: Team 68 is the Truck Town Terror.
: Team 67 is HOT.
: I’m insulted, but no perminent harm done. :slight_smile:

: Adam
My bad, simple typing error, the 7 is right next to the 8. PLus you are both GM teams, so simple error.

Pat

14

Posted by Anthony Lapp.

Engineer on team #221, MI Roboworks, from Michigan Technological University.

Posted on 6/4/2000 9:08 PM MST

In Reply to: Re: Top Ten Bots of 2000 posted by Patrick Seeney on 6/2/2000 5:20 PM MST:

just a reminder, wildstang could hold 12

15

Posted by Justin Ridley.

Engineer on team #221, MI Roboworks, from Michigan Technological University.

Posted on 6/3/2000 12:28 PM MST

In Reply to: Top Ten Bots of 2000 posted by Andy Grady on 6/1/2000 9:18 PM MST:

I simply can’t rate the 10 best robots. . . well I could but that would take way too much thought. I have however thought about my personal favorite robot of the year. Actually two robots changed places in my mind for number one over the season. Chief Delphi was one of those robots. Obvioulsy excellent engineering and an amazing machine. But my definite favorite robot of the year has to be Team 1, 3D Services and OTC NE, the Juggernauts. This robot was built so well, and it performed great in every competition. It almost tore the goal apart at the Indiana regional and in West Michigan it succesfully defended 2 robots at one time while thier alliance (OSMTech, Team 27) went on to score with the field to themselves. It was amazing to look at thier robot and see how simple it was, while being unbelievably robust and powerful. I simply can’t believe they were not picked at Nationals. I see many teams that could have probably taken nationals if they would have gone with the Juggernauts. I guess somehow many people overlooked this amazingly versitle, strong machine. I loved watching them play and I was never disapointed in thier performance. They hold the top spot in my mind for this years competition, an awsome machine.

16

Posted by Michael Betts.

Engineer on team #177, Bobcat Robotics, from South Windsor High School and International Fuel Cells.

Posted on 6/4/2000 11:25 AM MST

In Reply to: #1 machine posted by Justin Ridley on 6/3/2000 12:28 PM MST:

: I simply can’t rate the 10 best robots. . .

I agree with Mr. Ridley that rating the ten best is an overwhelming task.

My personal favorite was 111 Wildstang. I was impressed from the first web photo I saw and my respect both machine and team continued to grow as I saw it perform. Overall, it was a wonderful combination of aesthetics, functionality and performance.

I also would like to add a fourth question to Andy’s (very flattering) Bobcat analysis… Why didn’t that thing fall apart? I still get cold sweats when I think about the shock load stresses that the arm joints must have seen during the competitions!

  • Mike
17

Posted by Erin.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]

Student on team #1, The Juggernauts, from Oakland Technical Center-Northeast Campus and 3-Dimensional Services.

Posted on 6/4/2000 8:46 PM MST

In Reply to: #1 machine posted by Justin Ridley on 6/3/2000 12:28 PM MST:

What can I say, other than: Thank You.

-Erin, Team #1 Juggernauts

‘Strategy drives design; simplicity is the key.’

18

Posted by P.J. Baker.

Engineer on team #177, Bobcat Robotics, from South Windsor High School and International Fuel Cells.

Posted on 6/3/2000 1:16 PM MST

In Reply to: Top Ten Bots of 2000 posted by Andy Grady on 6/1/2000 9:18 PM MST:

Andy,

We are flattered. If you ever figure out the answers to those three questions, please let us know.

: 10. Team 177 International Fuel Cells and South Windsor HS: These guys make the list due to the fact that they were probably the most enigmatic team to me. I looked at them in awe everytime they were out there and every time i asked myself three questions…1.How the heck does that thing not tip over, 2. How the heck is that thing underweight?, 3.HOW THE HECK DOES THAT THING NOT TIP OVER, ITS SO HUGE!?! Either way, I thought the thing was cool, so they make number 10.

19

Posted by Ryan Shanley.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]

Student on team #191, The X-Cats, from Joseph C. Wilson Magnet High School and Xerox.

Posted on 6/5/2000 1:30 PM MST

In Reply to: Top Ten Bots of 2000 posted by Andy Grady on 6/1/2000 9:18 PM MST:

For myself, with almost 300 robots, you would need more criteria before such titles can be handed out. All the listed robots (plus many others) were very well built and competed well. However, team #47 was the best offensive robot at the Rutgers regional, but they were beaten by a few teams that hardly ever won a match, and just pushed them around, beating Chief in the finals. But which robot was better?

I can’t rightfully compare robots as different as the ramp was to say, team 131, who also had a good robot. This presented good and bad results: a variety of strategies yielded diversity and new dimensions to the competition. At the same time, though, so many robots doing so many different things in different ways made it very hard to compare, which is why I think this years finals were disappointing as a whole, compared to those of recent years, and why many good robots, teams and animations were overlooked for awards (such as team 192).

For these reasons and more, the recent discussion about the good and bad of nationals and possible solutions was (I think) very important, and should be continued as we work toward Dean’s goal of 1,000 teams.

ryan

20

Posted by Steve Prairie.

Student on team #173, RAGE, from Rockville High School /East Hartford High School and UTRC.

Posted on 6/5/2000 3:30 PM MST

In Reply to: Top Ten Bots of 2000 posted by Andy Grady on 6/1/2000 9:18 PM MST:

Here’s a few of the bots that we liked to watch in action: (in no particular order):

131 -CHAOS
126 -NYPRO
157 - our partner in Florida semi-finals
?64? - Miracle Workers; we had a REALLY high scoring first round w/ them in Florida
175 - BUZZ, really fast, UTC, good partners
47 - CHIEF, nice bot like always, kinda like ours
69 - HYPER, they gave us a scare in New England
176
111 - Wildstang

And of course… us, RAGE 173. WE had our best year yet, #1 seed in New England, losing in the semi-finals, and #1 seed in FLorida for part of the time, and losing in the semi-finals. (i see a pattern).

Anyways, I can’t wait for battlecry at WPI, c-ya there.

Steve Prairie
Rage 173