Special to the Journal
A local high school robotics team capped off an already impressive season with big wins at the FIRST World Championship this past week in Houston, Texas. The 2023 FIRST Championship presented by BAE Systems, took place at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston from April 20-23. Overall, 974 robotics teams from 59 countries competed across all levels of FIRST programs, from K-12. Team 125, the NUTRONs, based out of Revere, Mass, won their Division after fighting their way to the top of 78 teams. The team, joined by alliance partners from Michigan, New York, and New Jersey, then moved on to finish Second Place, becoming World Championship Finalists out of 619 qualifying teams from across the globe.
Prior to the Championship, the NUTRONs competed at 3 district events this season, where their hard work paid off each step of the way. Not only were they overall event winners at two of the three competitions, but they took home 2 Industrial Design Awards. This award, sponsored by General Motors, recognizes the team that demonstrates industrial design principles, striking a balance between form, function, and aesthetics. The team’s robot, nicknamed Duality, was well-designed to participate in this year’s FIRST Robotics Competition. Duality featured a multi-stage telescoping arm, powered-roller intake, wrist mechanism, state of the art vision system and omni-directional “swerve†drive system, all packaged in a compact and robust design.
The team was also honored with the Impact Award at the Greater Boston District Event. The Impact Award is the most prestigious award in FIRST, and recognizes a team that reflects sustained excellence and impact within the FIRST community, in its own community, and beyond. The team’s determination to bring STEM programs into their own communities, has made lasting change, which is recognized in this award.
The NUTRONs, founded in 1997, are composed of thirty-three students in grades 7 through 12, from Revere High School, Brookline High School, Boston Latin School and Noble and Greenough School. The team is led by dedicated, professional mentors that volunteer their time to work alongside the students. The NUTRONs are one of the most diverse teams in New England, with 71% of their members being minorities and 18 languages spoken. The team’s mission aims to encourage students to expand their creativity and teamwork skills by allowing them to work in design challenges alongside real engineers, in order to prepare them for their college career.
Over the years, the team has had to overcome many challenges. For example, in 2018, they lost their original shop facility. Fortunately, Revere High School opened their doors and offered a lab space. The team is supported by ten sponsors, such as SONOS, PTC, BAE Systems,Markforged, and Raytheon Technologies. Operating a robotics team requires not only time and dedication, but also plenty of funding. Finding and retaining sponsors is a major struggle, even more so for teams in urban communities. Each year, the team needs to raise enough money to pay for registration fees, travel costs, robot parts, and more. If you’d like more information about the NUTRONs or to find out how you can help, please visit www.nutrons.com or email: [email protected].
Donations can also be made here: https://gofund.me/7c7ca51c. For more information about FIRST, please visit www.firstinspires.org
