Area high school students gathered to compete in the 2009 Connecticut Regional FIRST Robotics Competition at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford on March 27 and 28 . More than 60 teams entered the competition put on by the group called “ For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology . ”

RAGE-173 , a team comprised of students from East Hartford , Tolland , Manchester , Coventry , Rockville and the Connecticut International Baccalaureate Academy , has been involved in the FIRST competition since 1995 . In 2002 , the team won first in the world , and took fourth place in 2007 .

“ RAGE stands for Robotics and Gadget Engineering – it’s not about anger management , ” said EHHS science teacher Charles Nystrom . “ We used to change names every year. Then we asked to keep the same name , and they agreed . The lower the number , like our 173 , means youhave been in the competition for many years. ”

Since that time , the team has mushroomed to 32 students . This year’scompetition is called “ Lunacy , ” to commemorate the 40 th anniversary of the moon landing . For the games , students built a robot that weighed between 120 to 135 pounds , stood 5 feet tall and was battery powered .

The game is relatively simple : The machines pull around a trailer . Opposing teams attempt to fill that trailer with “ moon rocks , “ super cells” and “ empty cells , ” all made from a soft , pliable material . The catch , however , is that the robots are equipped with slippery wheels , so it is more difficult to maneuver around the 54-foot by 27-foot playing surface . Also , for the first 15 seconds , the team drivers cannot control their machines , so their opponents can easily toss “ moon rocks” into their trailers . For the remaining two minutes of the match , the drivers try to outfox their rivals and score as many points as possible by filling their trailers .

“ The kids design the robot to run away for the first 15 seconds , ” explained Nystrom . “ They just try to get out of range , so it is not an easy shot . ”

Students take the robotics matches very seriously . Accompanying the teams are mascots , cheerleaders and other support personnel . Spare parts are brought along , just in case .

“ We are the parents of a team member , ” said Maire Cusson . “ My husband and I help out in any way we can . We chaperone , assist with the animation and programming . ”

Melissa Collins of Manchester has the responsibility of pit crew supervisor and also assisted in building the robot .

“ We experimented with a swerve drive for the unit , but because of the low friction surface we’d be driving on , we decided against it , ” Collins said . “ There wouldn’t be enough pressure . Maybe we can do it next year. ”

When RAGE-173 began its match , the robots charged from their starting spots to avoid the “ moon rocks . ” After the 15-second interval , the drive team took charge and swerved , bumped and crashed – much like bumper cars at an amusement park – and tried to outscore their opponents . The audience went wild as the robots scrambled every which way around the floor .

RAGE-173 made it to the semi-finals but was defeated . The team will attend the Worcester Polytechnic Institute matches in Worcester , Mass ., in May .

“ Our drive team consisted of Stephen Rizzo , Evan Thorpe , Jessica Berner and Adrian Coleman , ” said Nystrom . “ Emily Davidson of Tolland was a back-up driver and did a marvelous job , scoring 10 points . ”

“ Dean Kamen , the founder of FIRST , calls this ‘ The Super Bowl of Smarts , ’” added Nystrom . “ The kids build their own robot and operate it . They also learn teamwork and cooperation . If another team needs a part , the kids all help them , so they can continue in the competition . It shows that math and science can be fun and also be a good career path for the students . ”