By Ginger Kozlowski
Staff Writer

If FIRST's goals are truly ever reached, the world will not necessarily be filled with robots that work flawlessly, but it will be populated with people who care about making the world a better place.

Members of the West High School robotics team listen to FIRST founder Dean Kamen talk about how they are the future scientists and engineers who can improve the world. The webcast originated at Southern New Hampshire University in Hooksett and was beamed around the world to kick off this year's challenge, called "Aim High." West students and mentors watched the webcast at PSNH's auditorium in Manchester. (Ginger Kozlowski Photo)

FIRST, best known for its robotics challenges, is an acronym for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, and the robot games are only the means to the end of inspiring today's brightest students to enter the fields of science and technology to improve our world.

As FIRST Chairman John E. Abele noted at the global webcast Jan. 7 revealing this year's challenge, "Aim High," the students involved in FIRST are "role models for transforming the culture."

FIRST founder, Dean Kamen of Bedford, inventor of the Segway human transporter and a wheelchair that climbs stairs, built on that theme. He noted how involved America's culture is with sports and entertainment, giving status to the stars in those fields rather than to the scientists and engineers working to solve the world's problems.

"Where do kids today see engineers, scientists as heroes? said Kamen. "If you all do it right, the students that participate might make decisions that will change their lives and change our lives."

Stealing from the world of sports and entertainment 15 years ago, Kamen came up with the idea of FIRST, using robots to play games, and it's been such a successful model that there are now hundreds of teams around the world competing in regional contests. Winners of those competitions go to the world finals in Atlanta.

Each year, there is a new game and new technologies to be used. This year's game is called "Aim High," and is somewhat like a basketball game played three on three. There are three goals at each of the playing field, and an alliance of three robot teams will try to scoop up 8- inch foam basketballs to throw into those goals. Making it even more complicated, the first 10 seconds of the game must be played by the robots with no human controller, much as a robot sent to Mars would have to work on its own.

The game was demonstrated at Southern New Hampshire University in Hooksett. At the same time, the kit of parts provided to each participating team was released. Students, teachers and mentors around the world immediately got to work debating game strategy and robot construction.

The West High Power Knights of Manchester was one team eager to get started after watching the webcast. Some of their team members had taken computer programming classes recently.

"We should be OK with the autonomous mode," said team leader Sid Prabhakar.

There are 26 teams competing in the Manchester regional competition March 2 to 4, including Manchester West, Central and Memorial high schools; Pembroke Academy; Trinity High School; Bishop Brady High School; Bishop Guertin High School; Pinkerton Academy; St. Paul's School; Concord High School; John Stark High School; Londonderry High School; and the University of New Hampshire.