Poudre High School junior Nick Hobbs, who only recently became involved in the world of robots, envisions a limitless role for them-- as long as society embraces their use.

"I never really would have seen myself in the sixth grade being a 'robotics nerd' during high school," he said. "I definitely saw myself as the Varsity soccer player or basketball player. And I do still play soccer."

Things changed, however, when the math teacher at his Fort Collins, Colo. high school showed the class a robot that students had built the previous year. "I was really impressed that kids were able to do this," he said.

Hobbs went to some workshops, played with the machines and began to see engineering as an engaging and exciting pursuit.

"At the beginning, I had no idea what I was doing. And then as I learned more, and was able to do more, it became kind of empowering to see that you are able to build and design these machines that most adults couldn't even think up let alone build themselves," he said.

Math and science classes provide the tools, and the robotics teams implement them in programs such as the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, or FIRST, league and the LEGO Group.

"Take the plunge, even if you're a little skeptical," Hobbs recommended. "It's better to try it out and find that it's not your bag than not go and never ending up knowing whether you like it or not."

For the FIRST competition, nearly 30,000 high school students around the nation had six weeks to design and build a robot that could shoot a ball through a variety of hoops and roll up a ramp.

In addition to the technical knowledge gleaned from such a challenge, Hobbs, the team captain for his high school, said he learned how to deal with pressure and work as a team.

"There are a lot of times when your idea is brilliant and someone else has a brilliant idea, and you have to duke it out and compromise and figure out a way to implement both your ideas into a single design strategy," he said. "It's a very unique life simulation."

Hobbs said that although people often think of robots as "machines that are coming to take over the world or carrying blaster rifles," they really are meant to serve the needs of society and simplify people's lives.

The reality is "there's an infinite number of solutions that can be addressed by different types of robots."

And once cheaper and more user-friendly robots are produced, people will be more likely to buy them and embrace the notion that robots can assist their lives, he said.

-- By Larisa Epatko, Online NewsHour