Members of the Coventry High School team are, from left, Alex Nahigian, Ryan O’Rourke and Michael Brouillette. They took part yesterday in the FIRST Tech Challenge at the New England Institute of Technology’s Automotive Center.

The Providence Journal / Connie Grosch

WARWICK — Japan has robots expressing feelings and emotions with facial movements. That country also has them taking over factory positions and it’s even beginning to build robots that will care for its growing elderly population.

Yesterday’s FIRST Tech Challenge at the New England Institute of Technology’s Automotive Center had robots, but they didn’t have human forms. Most didn’t do anything more than monster truck moves — pushing and jockeying for position — and lifting red and blue rings off the floor.

“But we’re really not about the robots,” said Bruce Linton, FIRST’s vice president of development and operations. “The robots are really just a learning platform.”

Linton said founder Dean Kamen was more about inspiring students to the world of math, science, engineering and technology. The inventor started FIRST — which stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology” — in 1989 and it now has several events for children ages 6 to 18.

Yesterday’s tournament had high school students building and programming their robots from kits to perform specific tasks in a head-to-head competition. Thirty-seven high schools — public, private, technical and charter — participated, which was more than 50 percent more than those who competed in last year’s tournament in Rhode Island. The 2007 competition was the state’s initial FIRST Tech Challenge.

“Programs and initiatives aimed at capturing students’ creativity and hunger for knowledge will help our students prepare for college and life in the professional world,” Governor Carcieri said in a news release. “This FIRST Tech Challenge has quickly become an integral part of our efforts in encouraging students to take an interest in math and science.”

Said Kamen, “Our vision is to transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology heroes is being realized in Rhode Island.”

Many of the students were already treated like rock stars. They had groupies, cheerleaders, supporting signs, and custom-made outfits. A mascot came out for one school. A few even had their own handshake to get them pumped up for their moment in the arena.

Coventry High School’s crew named their robot The Beast, and it had decals of roaring black panthers on their hardhats as well as the hubcaps of their machine. Tiverton High School’s students had their names etched into their shirt sleeves and the Beacon Charter School participants were escorted by three girls with blue and white pompons who screamed repeatedly and performed choreographed cheers.

A ring announcer called the teams out while cameras flashed away. There were also people on microphones to give a play-by-play for those who could not see the action.

“Wow,” screamed the commentator during one match, “this looks like a New York City traffic jam.”

The results were later posted on a jumbo screen. Organizers say it was a goal of theirs to create an environment with the same energy and enthusiasm to learning as is traditionally found at school sporting events.

The rules were simple: team up with another school and get more points than the other duo. The arena is separated into quadrants and the robots must push, pull or place their team color rings onto platforms, poles or in a designated goal area. The robots can also capture a movable goal for additional points.

Strategy is key, most of the students said. One could block or pin its opponent’s robot in a corner while the teammate scores all the points. Others create escalating conveyer belts — a couple had moving tongs instead — on top of their design to move a ring high enough to drop it on the largest pole for five points.

Then there’s some who shoveled multiple rings, with scooping and dragging, into their goals. Each ring in that area may be worth a smaller amount than being placed on the poles, but several add up to a hard-to-beat score. Yet they have to guard their goal, too, because their opponents, with seconds left in the two-minute round, could push everything out just as the time expires.

The seven students from Smithfield High School — the school finished second last year — was still building its robot yesterday. Although it had the kit since November, they didn’t start working on it until a few days ago.

Christopher Rogers, 17, said, “What can I say, we’re lazy.”

Yet they were still confident and the students decided to call their robot SPED, for Super Power Engine Droid. Their supervision teacher, Jeff Macari, said the real name of the group is Team Last Minute. He said the robot’s name is Minute Man.

Minute Man never moved out of the corner in the first two matches because it was stuck to a goal. It did better during the next few competitions.

Said Macari, “We’re having fun and learning, that’s what it’s all about.”

The three teams chosen to go to the international competition in Atlanta in April are Tiverton High School, Burrillville High School and The Met School. The Think Award went to Smithfield High, the Innovate Award went to Tiverton High, the Connect Award went to Cumberland High, the Motivate Award went to Beacon Charter School, and the Amaze Award went to Mount Pleasant High.

For more information about the event, visit www.usfirst.org or www.oceanstaterobotics.com