Northland robotics teams to compete at DECC

DULUTH — The Duluth Entertainment Convention Center is set to be taken over by robots and their enthusiastic creators for the next few days. Students from around Minnesota and Wisconsin are set to compete in two simultaneous FIRST robotics tournaments: the Lake Superior and Northern Lights regionals.

Duluth FIRST Robotics planning committee co-chair Stephanie Fehringer said it should be "a good year."

"We have 24 teams in Northeastern Minnesota and 120 overall. ... One thing that's different this year is that they've had a chance to practice on a playing field," Fehringer said. "The Arrowhead Robotics Coalition have a practice field that they've been traveling around the region to give teams a chance to try things out."

This field is not the same as this year's game, but does give students a chance to try out their bots on a field other than their school practice areas.

This year's game is a cooperative effort, where teams will be placed on alliances of three and asked to complete a series of tasks in order to "charge up" the playing field. After the initial rounds, teams will form their own alliances with others for the next rounds of play.

"So you get a chance to watch the other teams and see which you might want to make an alliance with," Fehringer said. "What strengths do you have and what might you need to get more points."

The game is assembled Wednesday by volunteers, who also make sure the tournaments run smoothly Friday and Saturday.

The tournaments are free and open to the public to watch. They start at 9 a.m. Friday.

Here's a rundown of some local schools set to compete this week:

Team name: Duluth East Daredevils 2512

Rookie year: 2008

Robot name: Artifact

3 fun facts:

• They have the most air tanks ever on their robot this year.
• The team was originally called the Duluth Penguins.
• Since 2010, all of their robot's names have started with the letter A.

Where to follow online: Facebook at Daredevils2512 , Twitter at FRC2512, Instagram at frc2512.

Team name: TopperBots 4230

Rookie year: 2012

Robot name: To be determined

3 fun facts:

• The team added 40 pounds of weights to this year's robot.
• This is the team's first time competing in the Northern Lights Regional.
• The unnamed robot can fit in the back of a GMC Terrain.

Where to follow online: Facebook at MarshallFRC.

Team name: Denfeld Nation Automation (DNA) 4009

Rookie year: 2012

Robot name: To be determined

3 fun facts:

• All of their robots, apart from 2020, have been named after a mentor on the team. Last year's robot was named Davious for their lead mentor, Dave.
• The team manufactures many of their own parts such as metal plates and weld their own robot frames.
• The team will be at the Duluth Depot STEAM festival May 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to volunteer and show off their robot to kids.

Where to follow online: Facebook at Denfeld Nation Automation 4009 , Instagram at dna4009.

Team name: Bombatrons 6160

Rookie year: 2016

Robot name: Sideswipe

3 fun facts:

• This year's robot is the most complicated robot the team has ever built.
• At 27 students, this is the largest team the Bombatrons have had.
• For the first time in eight seasons, the team will attend a second regional event in Wisconsin.

Where to follow online: Facebook at Barnum Bombatrons , Instagram at Bombatrons.

Team name: Wayne Enterprises Inc. 8836

Rookie year: 2022

Robot name: Brian J. Alfred

3 fun facts:

• Most of the members on the team are also in drama.
• The team absorbed the Hibbing High School team this year.
• A very young team with two juniors, a sophomore and three freshmen.

Where to follow online: Facebook at Chisholm Bluestreaks.

Team name: Doomsday Dogs 7041

Rookie year: 2018, first year back since pandemic

Robot name: Eugene

3 fun facts:

• The robot is from Germany.
• The entire team is new, including coaches, except for one returning student, Rochelle DeLovely, the team captain, who got the team up and running again.
• The team is small, but eager to get back into competing.

Where to follow online: Facebook at Carlton Robotics.

Team name: RipSaw Robotics

Rookie year: 2019

Robot name: Edith Clarke

3 fun facts:

• The robot is named Edith Clarke because she was the first woman to graduate with an electrical engineering degree and invented a graphical calculator. There are three women on the drive team this year.
• The team focuses on working hard, having fun, building their brand, business and robots.
• "We focus on FIRST and our team's core values, leading to us winning the safety awards (2020) and the imagery awards (2022). It has also inspired us this year to host STEM camps for our middle school community and started a podcast, 'Rambling with RipSaw.'"

Where to follow online: Facebook at RipSaw Robotics , Instagram at ripsawrobotics.

Team name: Iron Mosquitos 5653

Rookie year: 2015

Robot name: To be determined

3 fun facts:

• Students from four schools are on the team: Northeast Range, Mesabi East, Ely Memorial High School and one student from Virginia.
• The school districts' areas cover 1 million acres.
• The team name is a comes from being a multi-school team on the Iron Range.

Where to follow online: Instagram at ironmosquitos.

Team name: SubZero Robotics 5690

Rookie year: 2015

Robot name: Aftermath

3 fun facts:

• The team won the Rookie Inspiration award in 2015.
• The team prioritizes mental health.
• The team is split into eight departments in order to run effectively and efficiently.

Where to follow online: Facebook at SubZero Robotics.

Team name: Mariner Robotics 3267

Rookie year: 2010

Robot name: To be determined

3 fun facts:

• The team is young.
• The robot is simplified.
• The mentors are experienced.

Where to follow online: Facebook at WKHS Mariner Robotics.

Team name: Rock Solid Robotics 4656

Rookie year: 2013

Robot name: To be determined

3 fun facts:

• They have cut over 20 parts on the school's water jet CNC cutter.
• This is the team's 10th anniversary. The team was Rookie All Stars and went to the world competition.
• The robot can autonomously drive in a direction, get pushed off course and using an on board gyroscope, and navigate its way back.

Where to follow online: Facebook at Rock Solid 4656 .

Team name: Frostbyte Robotics 6047

Rookie year: 2016

Robot name: Clawd

3 fun facts:

• There is nothing square about this bot.
• Everything is a little bit crooked.
• Clawd is quirky, just like the team that built him.

Where to follow online: Facebook at Frostbyte Robotics #6047.

• Hermantown High School's Talons 5232
• ASD Robotics Program's (Duluth) Bots of Another Color 9257
• Moose Lake High School's Circuit Breakers 6044
• Rock Ridge High School's Boring Robotics 7311