Team 1816-The Green Machine would like to thank everyone who attended our annual mid-build Open House and SPARK (Sponsors & Parents Appreciation, Recognition, and Kudos) Day, on Saturday, January 31st. Occurring right in the middle of the six-week build season, this day was a perfect chance for visitors to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse at what building a FIRSTrobot is really about. This year’s event gave visitors the opportunity to view team members in the process of building the robot for this year’s FIRST game, “Lunacy.” Guests were also treated to the wonders of computer aided design (CAD) as members showed various parts and views of the 2009 robot, Zeus, in-process. The team also had several elements of the Lunacy game on display, most notably many of the “moon rocks,” or game pieces; the trailer in which the moon rocks are tossed, and a sample of the newly introduced slick playing surface. The team’s 2007 and 2008 competition robots were also on display, along with videos of the action of the 2008 FIRSTOverdrive game as taped during the inaugural Minnesota Regional. All in all, the day was an informative, exciting snapshot into the middle of FIRST Lunacy, and the FIRSTRobotics program in general. The team invites the community and sponsors to come see Zeus in action during the FIRST North Star Regional, April 2 – 4, 2009 at the University of Minnesota’s Mariucci Arena.
