Robbinsville FIRST Robotics Team 2590 Nemesis won first place and an entrepreneurship award during the weekend of March 1 and March 2.
by Amy Batista, Special Writer
ROBBINSVILLE — Robbinsville FIRST Robotics Team 2590 Nemesis won first place and an entrepreneurship award during the weekend of March 1 and March 2.
”Winning the competition was a truly great feeling, as it was a consummation of all our hard work throughout build season,” said Ally Drake, 17, of Robbinsville, is communications director for the team.
In addition to the “coveted” blue winner banner, Nemesis was awarded for its comprehensive business plan.
”While winning the competition was an honor, it was nice to have the Business Team recognized for their continuous hard work as well,” said Karla Dimatulac, 17, of Robbinsville, who is the director of marketing for the team. “Horsham was definitely a victory for the entire team.”
The competition was held Hatboro-Horsham High School over the course of two days in which forty FIRST Robotics teams from New Jersey, Delaware and eastern Pennsylvania participated.
”This year’s game, aerial assist, would be played three versus three, the objective being to place a ball into the floor goal or to shoot for the high-scoring goal,” Ally said. “An emphasis was placed on cooperation, with 10 points added to an alliance’s score for each assist.”
Nemesis’ new robot, Bellerophon, was designed by team members using CAD software, and then constructed using the student’s specifications. Sporting a claw and a spring-powered linear punch shooter, Bellerophon was designed to swiftly grab balls and launch them into the high-scoring goal, she said.
The team is comprised of 56 students.
”The best part about our team is that we are student run,” Ally said. “Our mentors are always there to help, but allow us to take initiative.”
Ally noted that each year, FIRST releases a new challenge, and teams have six weeks to complete their robot.
”Team members first draw and prototype, then use Autodesk Inventor to create a complete, virtual model of the robot,” Ally said. “We are fortunate enough to have a state-of-the-art technology lab, and most parts can be machined by team members using our computer numerical control mill and router.”
Local companies are recruited to machine the parts that are too large to create in the lab.
During the competition, the robot ran into a bit of trouble and its winning came to a “crashing halt.”
”Bellerophon proved to be an unstoppable offensive robot, and Nemesis seemed poised to end the day with an undefeated record,” Ally said. “Their winning streak came to a crashing halt, however, when Bellerophon’s claw broke after a run in with particularly zealous defensive robots.”
Team members were able to work and immediately remove the broken claw. The team had the time and resources to build a second practice robot during build season equipped with a fully functioning arm. However, swapping out the claws would take time.
”Back in the pits, members from Nemesis’ Marketing and Finance Teams presented their Business Plan to FIRST judges, outlining the team structure, explaining their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis, sharing the team’s exemplary community outreach, and offering a breakdown of the team’s budget and finances,” Ally said.
Despite the setbacks on Saturday, the team was able to make a comeback Sunday winning all of their remaining qualification matches, clinching first seed with an overall record of 10-2, she added.
”We were worried for a while as Bellerophon was being fitted with the spare claw, but the thrill of seeing him back in action was amazing,” Ally said.
The season is not yet over for the Nemesis.
Nemesis’ performance at Hatboro-Horsham will count towards its standings in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
Its next competition will be the Lenape District Event on March 22-23. The team has qualified for the Mid-Atlantic Robotics Championship, which is being held April 10-12 at Lehigh University.
Admission is free to both of these events.

