The future of robotics

Robots are always seen as part of the future, so getting the next generation interested in science and technology is a logical way to make our vision of robots a reality.

The FIRST (For Inspiration & Recognition of Science & Technology) Robotics Competition is a program that gives teams of youth and their mentors a set of rules and a kit of parts to build robots that will participate in regional and national competitions.

This year the teams played “FIRST Overdrive” with their homemade robotic gladiators, made from kits of hundreds of parts. The competition wrapped up its season last month with its championship round held at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

At the opening ceremonies on April 18, sixteen years after he attended the inaugural FIRST Championship, former President George H. W. Bush spoke about the importance of involving the next generation in technology.

Teams from St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada; Greenville, Texas; and Sterling Heights, Mich. formed an alliance that ultimately beat out more than 1500 teams from around the world. The individual teams were Team 148 “Robowranglers” of Greenville High School, Team 217 “ThunderChickens” from Utica Community Schools in Mich., and Team 1114 “Simbotics” from Governor Simcoe Secondary School in Ontario.

Teams in the competition were from the US, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

Apart from winning the competitions, FIRST awards honors to teams that excel in design, team spirit, professionalism, maturity, and the ability to overcome obstacles.

Team 842 “Falcon Robotics” from Carl Hayden High School in Phoenix, Ariz. won the FIRST Robotics Competition Championship Chairman’s Award as “the team that best represents a model for other teams to emulate and best embodies the purpose and goals of FIRST.”

In the FIRST Tech Challenge high school students competed in the “Quad Quandry” challenge using robots built from modular robotics kits. Students had to place three-inch rings on goals and move the goals around the field.

The FIRST Tech Challenge winning alliance was Team 23 “Beach Cities Robotics” from Redondo Beach, Calif.; Team 30 “Mr. T” from Montville, NJ; and Team 74 “Team Overdrive” from Bridgewater, NJ.

The FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship Inspire Award, recognizing excellence in robot design and teamwork, went to Team 801 “Panteras” from Mexico City, Mexico.

In the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) World Festival, students, ages 9 to 14, participated in the “Power Puzzle” real-life challenge. Here students had to design, build, and program robots to explore sustainable options to meet the planet’s growing energy needs in environmentally sound ways. The Champion’s Award 1st Place winner was Team 8095 “External Fusion” from Singapore, followed by Team 2560 “Pixelation” from North Branch, Minn., and Team 334 “Power Peeps” from Swartz Creek, Mich.. The Champion’s Award measures how teams inspire and motivate others about the excitement and wonders of science and technology, while demonstrating gracious professionalism.

During the event several recipients of scholarships were also recognized. The scholarships, worth nearly $10 million, were from some the most prestigious science and engineering schools in the country, including Georgia Institute of Technology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Purdue University.

For more awards, results and scholarship winners see the FIRST press release, Robots rule the Georgia Dome in Celebration of science and technology at annual FIRST championship, and the FIRST Web site.