As the end of year 2013 drew near along with the long anticipated FIRST® kick-off, Mechanical Mayhem was honored with the 
opportunity to create a map of all the FIRSTrobotics teams and events in the world. Brainstorming immediately ensued as students and mentors worked to develop a new and innovative map to be displayed on Dean Kamen’s wall. Instead of opting for a more traditional static map, our team was inspired to go one step further and create a digital slideshow animating FIRST’s growth from its first year in 1992 to our current year of 2014. Jackson Volante, one of last year’s Granite State Regional Dean’s List winners, spearheaded the programming of the map.
Completion of the map required learning JavaScript, collecting data, and configuring animated frames, building a webpage to display the gif, aquiring materials, and automating the presentation of the map. Three other students worked with him to complete the project. The map was displayed on a 32″ computer monitor run by a Raspberry Pi. At live kickoff, two of the students involved with the project presented the map to Dean Kamen, Woodie Flowers, and Governor Maggie Hassan, offering an encouraging way to “kick off” the new season!
