Tom Provencher of Bedford stands with the robot just constructed by West High School’s Team 501 for the FIRST robotics competition, which takes place Thursday, Feb. 28, through Saturday, March 1, at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester. Forty-eight teams from around the Northeast had six weeks to design and build a robot capable of picking up large balls and running around a track for this year’s game, called First Overdrive. Teams from West, Central and Memorial, as well as Pembroke Academy and other schools will compete in the three-day regional event, with winners going to the world competition in Atlanta.

Michael Nesmith Photo