Robotics teams: why not name them with a bot?

There’s a high school robotics contest called FIRST Robotics where thousands of student teams compete to build and program huge robots to compete in robots sports. Each team (in addition to, y’know, building the actual robot) has to pick a name and develop their marketing brand. This is undoubtedly the most difficult part of the entire competition and I am here to help.

Thanks to Kendra from the Aluminum Narwhals (which is an awesome team name in itself), I had a list of 6,197 names of teams that have competed in the past. I fed this list to a recurrent neural network, which is a type of machine learning algorithm that learns to imitate the examples it sees. I’ve used programs like this to generate new names for guinea pigs, halloween costumes, and pies, so I had no doubt it could deliver a few suggestions to help out future generations of robotics teams.

First, the names that I was actually surprised didn’t exist. I think nobody would bat an eye at these.

Atominators

Golderbots

ROBSTERS

The Attac Kings

Rust School

DangerBots

RoboTippers

Wormbots

This next category, though… Eyes might be batted. There might even be a slow blink of confusion. Take advantage of that confusion and CRUSH your enemies.

Panthering Roobodas

Bobilian Engineeriators

Bagbotics

MERM!

Power Scare

School Eye Knights

Meghanic Panthill

Green Obscurum

Jacket Devils

Robo Bots

The Junky Doltimes

Voltum Beaminators

Electric Sunphonge

Robot Robotics of the Robotics

Combotical Spiderbot Dragon

With a name from this third category, you will strike true fear in the hearts of your adversaries. For who but the most competent, most valiant team would be bold enough to name themselves “CHARD”?

Eagle Slurg

Scone

Ham & Panthers

Thumper Birds

Linda

Cows

Team Squotz

The Wolvesdog

Planking

CHARD

Nutcornets

Robot Horse

Blue Robotics Splord

HALAFSS

SQLASH Code No Bots

And then, just to see what would happen, I trained a neural network on years worth of Night Vale transcripts and then trained it ever so slightly on the list of robotics transcripts. It shouldn’t have worked. I have no idea how it worked. I think joining these teams is compulsory.

Exists

BOOP

I am projects

The Glow Wingers

Station Flynn’s Bears

THREAT

The Faceless

Secretly Robotics

Does Bears

Team NOT Robotics

Some Blinkin Robotics

WALKS THE MEATS

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(logos generated using https://hatchful.shopify.com/)