Team 2590 Invited to Participate in Gadgetoff 2009

Snug Harbor, Staten Island, NY

Gadgetoff is a one day, invitation only event designed to showcase technology, innovation and art. Team Nemesis was one of five FIRST Robotics teams invited to participate and demonstrate what FIRST and the FRC is all about.

The event had a little bit of everything: a remote control airplane made entirely from garbage (delta wing made from some recycled rigid foam insulation – awesome flyer!); a demonstration of a DIY/open source, non-lethal, vomit-inducing flashlight; a trebuchet that flung watermelons across the outdoor exhibit area; an NG rocket propelled, spinning ride (talk about vomit inducing); and much more.

Upon arrival, we unpacked and set up at the outdoor stage and then proceeded to the opening presentation in the indoor theater. The creators of Gadgetoff, Mike Dubno, Dan Dubno and Greg Harper played emcee and introduced the presenters. We got to see presentations from the head of Stanford’s winning DARPA Challenge team, Dr. Joshua Wurman from the Discovery Channel show Storm Chasers and the creator of Kamerflage.com to name a few. Unfortunately, the presenters were only allotted 3-4 minutes each resulting in many partial presentations.

Dean Kamen, inventor/entrepreneur and founder of FIRST, gave a presentation of the "Luke Arm" prosthesis, an artificial limb his company has developed. The project was funded by DARPA and intended to help soldiers that return home after having lost limbs in battle. After a brief video showcasing a double amputee using the new arm, we were introduced to the soldier who demonstrated his new arm by handing Dean a golf ball.

There was also an indoor presentation by vendors of innovative technology products including: a HUGE human trackball for gaming, the Loop Pointer – a free space (ala wii) mouse replacement, a DIY mini CNC machine, and a table with the newest HEXBUG offerings to name a few.

Our presentation in the event was offering a lunchtime demonstration of the robot we built for the 2008/2009 season. The five FIRST teams scooped up, dumped and shot moon rocks and super cells all over the place. Unfortunately, the setup did not allow spectators to come and interact with team members as they would need to dodge speeding robots at peril of life and limb to get to us.

Overall Gadgetoff 2009 was an interesting event. We saw many new technologies and innovations that should spark a FIRST member’s imagination. The event could be improved by either making it a two-day event, or having fewer presenters allowing more time for each.