First Robotics - Blog Posts

Be a Super Fan at a FIRST Robotics Regional

Robots will be swerving around the playing field starting with the first regionals held February 25th every weekend leading up to the FIRST Robotics Championships April 22nd  in St. Louis Missouri. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) challenged students to build 120-lb competitive robots in just six weeks. The moment for students has come to showcase their tote stacking machines at regionals throughout the world.  As a robotics enthusiast, friend or family of a team member, or you just want to get a piece of the tech action attending a regional is exciting! Below are five tips on how to be a super fan at a FIRST Robotics Regional and make the most of your experience watching these glorious geeks' gadgets.

1) Discover Where To Attend FIRST Robotics Districts/Regionals are free and open to the public! If you don't already know where and when your closest FIRST Robotics Regional is being held scroll through this list to find out: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/frc/regional-events A typical account of a regional: The event starts on a Thursday and teams compete in practice matches that do not effect their ranking. Friday is when qualification matches for ranking starts and teams compete in a Round-robin fashion. Team's rank determines if they will compete in finals. Some awards are given out Friday evening. Saturday begins with qualification matches in the morning. After lunch finals are held, a winner is declared, and awards are given out. Saturday is the best day to watch for fierce competition. If you cannot attend a regional in person each competition is broadcast online.

2) Learn About The Game: Recycle Rush In Recycle Rush, two alliances of three teams race against the clock to stack as many game pieces as possible in two and a half minutes. Game pieces include totes, recycling containers, and pool noodles (litter). The stack that grants the most amount of points is six totes and a container! For double the points alliances can cooperate with their opposing alliance to stack totes in the middle of the field. Recycle Rush Game Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6UYFKNGHJ8

3) Explore The Pit Area Shouts of "Robot robot!" can be heard from students clearing the aisles for their machine. Beyond the playing field is a sea of teams fixing their robots, formulating game plays, and exchanging buttons with fellow FIRST members and fans. The pit area is a must see stop for fans and tech enthusiasts. Each team has approximately a 10ft x 10ft x 10ft space to work on their robot, store hardware, and chat with fans about their work. Similar to a NASCAR pit stop, team members quickly change out their robot's 12V batteries and replace burnt motors. Pick up a pair of safety glasses at the entrance of the pit area and feel free to collect buttons from teams, check out the diverse robot designs, and ask about a team member's experience. From my experience at competitions Thursday and Friday mornings are prime times for button collecting.  

4) Know The Robo Lingo Every sport seems to have their own language using slang like hail mary, alley-oop, and meatball. This sport of the mind has a jargon of its own.

Gracious Professionalism (GP)- This is the most powerful mantra of FIRST Robotics, a mind set that promotes "competing like crazy" yet "treating others with respect and kindness" as co-founder Woodie Flowers explains. As a result you will see team members helping other teammates from rival teams fix their robot, patch some code, and loan a few tools.

Buttons- Generic name given to giveaways teams hand out to students and fans in the pit area. This robot swag can consist of necklaces, hats, bandannas, pens, candy, miniature safety kits, and of course buttons.

Chairman's- Short for the Chairman's Award, the most prestigious award presented to teams for their efforts in community outreach, promotion of STEM, and embodiment of FIRST Robotics' goals. The teams selected serve as role models for other FIRST Teams. Regional Chairman's award winners win the opportunity to compete in the World Championships. Teams preform outreach, write an essay, create a video, and give a presentation to be eligible.

Poolitics (Pool noodle politics)- Coined by robotics strategist and coach Karthik relating to decisions made about the use of pool noodle game pieces. The pool noodles act as litter in Recycle Rush and an alliance receives points if the opposite alliance has litter in their zone.

Coopertition (Co-Op)- Another ethos of FIRST that "is founded on the concept and philosophy that teams can and should help and cooperate with each other as the compete", as described on usfirst.org. To further encourage cooperation a part of Recycle Rush is creating a sack of yellow totes with the opposite alliance.

Worlds- Short for World Championships, FIRST teams dream to compete at Worlds where there are eight competition fields and hundreds of robots. Teams can win the right to go to words by winning a Regional/ District event, Chairman's Award, Engineering Inspiration Award, and Rookie All Star Award. Awards are given out on Saturdays, the last day of competition.

Team Number- Each team is assigned a number when they register for first robotics. Some teams have been registered for over 20 years! The higher the number, the younger the team.

Chute Door- Whoops, almost left out poor chute door. Chute door is where players can drop totes into the playing field for their robots to receive. There has been a surprising amount of speculation by teams debating if their robot should receive totes from the door or pick up existing ones on the field. Several videos are up online with students observing how the tote falls through the chute door to determine if it will even land upright in a robot, Chute door has become this year's obsession for many strategists.

5) Volunteer At A Regional Take super fanning to the next level by volunteering at a Regional or District event. To be a volunteer and help the cause there are both technical and nontechnical positions. Volunteers have helped with field set up, field take-down, pit announcements, game set up, food distribution, judging, and more. Check it out! http://www.usfirst.org/community/volunteers

Wiring the basement of my team’s robot.

Robotics Molds Students Into Professional Triple Threats

It’s no shock that FIRST Robotics promotes science, technology, engineering, and math. FIRST’s message of STEM education is smeared all over its challenges, image, and very name “FIRST”- For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. What FIRST robotics didn't expect to do is create a new breed of professional triple threats. FIRST has molded a generation of confident communicators, tenacious culture changers and gracious leaders.

Communication A stereotype for anyone in STEM industry is that you are socially impaired and enjoy being locked in a dark room with your work. Out in industry, why would the media want to speak with an engineer when there is a whole marketing department dedicated to doing just that? Especially when the marketing knows to NOT speak techy geek lingo that makes anyone want to forget every ounce of high school algebra they remember. This communication challenge is constantly navigated on a FIRST Robotics team. There is a different set of dialog for the media, fans, fellow teammates, and supporters. A phrase like “the new FRC roboRIO has integrated PWM, servo, and analog I/O channels capabilities” could be useless to you unless you were on a team while “this year’s robot controller allows us to add more sensors on our robot” is more meaningful. Students learn how to identify who their audience is and communicate accordingly. Teams often present to companies, schools, communities, some tech literate, and some not. Tech industry will soon be welcoming individuals in STEM that can communicate to a wide audience and not just among themselves.

Culture Hot topics like celebrity gossip may catch your attention but for most not this week’s newest innovations. Why? Culture. For what I like to call the engineering golden years, 50s and 60s, engineers were celebrated as superstars. The media and government were behind their innovative visions, currently that support is there but not as visible. Its obvious that students in FIRST try to change culture by showing that STEM is cool, but they also change culture in a more powerful and subtle way. Students engage in a unique form of cooperation scarcely observed in industry. Yes, during build season students keep their team's design hush hush, but when a rival asks for help they rise to the occasion and assist. You don't see Microsoft asking Apple for help with font design or firmware advice. Students recognize that the success of all teams is more important for the success of their own. Once these individuals enter into industry their mindset of advancing humanity rather than stock competition will allow innovation to occur faster.

Leadership The word leadership often evokes an image of a CEO, suits shaking hands, and a cheesy stock image pasted on a motivational presentation. Although being an executive leader is a lot of people’s goals there are just not many of those positions open. Getting to that level of management maybe involve some ungracious acts, climbing the ladder while stepping on a few people's toes. FIRST robotics has shaped a more realistic image of leadership in the mind of this generation. These students understand leadership doesn't just come in the form of leading others but also the leading of self. Autonomously identifying when you have nothing to do, thinking of a way to drive a goal forward by contributing, and completing that task sounds like a relic of a time gone by. For individuals on FIRST robotics this self-motivation is the key to their team’s success. Students learn that their team's goal would not be reached without their daily drive.

Disguised by the whirring motors and blinking lights a new generation is being fashioned. These professional triple threats graciously reform communication, culture, and leadership. At competition, beyond the field and into the robot pits is the best place to watch this transformation take place. Not convinced? Grab a pair of safety goggles, shake a few hands with students, collect a few robot buttons, ask about their robot design, hear about their aspirations, and see for yourself.

Find your nearest FRC competition: http://www.usfirst.org/whats-going-on

Robotics Pit Area: Where students repair their robot between matches

Robotics Engineering Challenge Recycle Rush

Around the world FIRST Robotics teams huddled around screens big and small to watch their newest engineering mission be unveiled. Some in awe, shock, and disappointment students reacted to their newest challenge Recycle Rush. By February 17th, just six weeks, teams must create a robot that race to stack totes, lift containers, and herd pool noodles.

In Recycle Rush, two alliances of three teams race against the clock to stack as many objects a possible in two and a half minutes. This is a unique game for FIRST Robotics since each alliance will be separated by a six inch barrier, there will no longer be a need for defense. Although some students are disappointed in the lack of  defensive plays and butting heads with the opposing alliance this gives them an opportunity to focus on intricate game piece manipulation rather than protecting their robot. Coopertition, coined by professor and co-founder Woodie Flowers, is a unique characteristic of Recycle Rush as well. For double the points alliances can cooperate with their opposing alliance to stack totes in the middle of the field.

Recycle Rush Game Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTyCIYZQ_1s

How I'm Helping Out: During build season I will be mentoring the Duluth East Daredevils Robotics Team's media department. We are joining forces with a rival team and Duluth News Tribune to do reporting on the build season and FIRST robotics regional competition February 26th-28th in Duluth, MN. Here is what was published previous seasons: http://www.daredevils2512.org/media/bluedevil-press/

How You Can Help Out: FIRST Robotics competitions around the globe are in need of volunteers. To be a volunteer and help the cause there are both technical and nontechnical positions. Check it out! http://www.usfirst.org/community/volunteers

It Begins 4,900 Teams of Robot Builders

You may or may not have noticed the anxious stir experienced by high schoolers around the world. Not the stir associated with the holiday season or fear of returning back to school but caused by anxiety for a six week long engineering mission. Tomorrow, January 3rd, over 4,900 FIRST Robotics teams will be assigned a game for which they design, fabricate, and program a 120lb robot to compete. Really, a bunch of high schoolers are going to build a sophisticated machine requiring skills way beyond what they learn in school? Sounds like 4,900 teams of overly confident loony toons to me. I assure you from experience being on one of theses ambitious bot building teams that it is possible with copious amounts of drive and dedication.

Tubes, balls, frisbees and even miniature robots have been tossed, thrown and launched by these high schoolers' mechanical creations. At competition following their build season, teams compete with each other in the game assigned weeks prior. Games in the past have been similar to traditional sports such as soccer, basketball, ultimate frisbee, and volleyball. Until tomorrow teams have no clue what kind of robot they will be creating.

FIRST Robotics is the master mind behind getting students and their communities hooked on robotics. Inventor Dean Kamen and professor Woodie Flowers, FIRST founders, wanted to inspire the next generation of innovators. Their mission is reflected in the competition's name FIRST Robotics - For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. Kind of a mouthful but tech savvy love their acronyms.

Get in on this crazy tech action by watching the FIRST Robotics Kick Off where the new game will be revealed January 3, 2015 10:15am EST : http://corporate.comcast.com/news-information/news-feed/2015-first-robotics-competition-kickoff

This is last years game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5zWzICG5to

The FIRST Robotics team a part of is the Duluth East Daredevils team 2512. Here is a previous robot a robot designed for an ultimate frisbee competition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZqM96bJaH4

FIRST Robotics Link: http://www.usfirst.org/