Merrimack FIRST team offers unique challenge to students

Merrimack High School has a variety of clubs for students to participate in. There are the Kendo Club, the Game Club, the Broadcast Club – you name it, the school probably has it. One group at the school builds robots and teaches kids about engineering, marketing, community service and much more: Chop Shop, Team 166, Merrimack High School’s FIRST robotics team. FIRST is a program that allows students to put their brains to the test. The goal is to create a robot that will complete a different task and challenge each year. This year, in just six weeks, students must design, build and program their robot to pick up and throw Frisbees at targets. If the robot can climb three metal pyramids, more points will be added to the team’s score. The process isn’t a walk in the park. The robot weighs 120 pounds and contains two air tanks and a compressor.