FIRST Robotics Competition , FRC (translated from English as “First Robotics Competition”) is an annual international technological competition in robotics among High School students , organized by FIRST . Currently, more than 1,300 teams with a total of more than 32,000 participants from Brazil , Canada , the Netherlands , Israel , the USA , the UK , Mexico and other countries are participating in the competition. Teams are formed from students and mentors (teachers, professional engineers, specialists, students). The number of teams ranges from 4 to 25 participants. The task of the competition is to build a robot in six weeks that is able to perform the task set annually by the organizers, working autonomously and / or under control of a wireless device. To build the robot teams are given a standard set of spare parts and parts. Teams have the right to purchase components, following certain restrictions. The results of the competition are summarized in the open championship. Currently, the final competition is broadcast by a television channel owned by NASA.
Content
History
The idea of the competition belongs to Dean Kamen , the inventor of the unusual electric scooter Seagway . According to him: “Passively sitting in the classroom is the format of the lessons of the 19th century. In this century you must be a creative person or you will not be able to do anything. We want to help stimulate our young people to be more thoughtful and creative. ”
In 1989, Dean Kamen founded FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) to inspire students to develop in the design and development of new technologies.
In 1992, the first FIRST Robotics Competition was held.
In 1997, the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) for the age group from 9 to 14 years old appeared, using constructors LEGO Mindstorms . In the same year, FIRST also introduced the Junior FIRST LEGO League for the first time from 6 to 9 years old. Later, FIRST Vex Challenge competitions appeared, which were based on designs using the VEX designer.
Sponsors
As the organization of the competition as a whole, and the participation of each team requires considerable expenses. Teams usually turn to regional companies that provide not only money, but also mentors. The competition is generally supported by well-known international corporations, including: NASA , Daimler , General Motors , Johnson & Johnson , Motorola and many others. In 2009, one of the 16 final proposals of Google’s 10 ^ 100 project included a wish: “It is necessary to support the FIRST Robotics Competition.”
The benefit of sponsors from participating in such competitions is obvious: they form a positive image in the eyes of their main target audience - the youth.
Reviews
In an interview with Wired magazine, Bill Joy (one of the founders of Sun Microsystems ) said: “If in a short time some asteroid doesn’t wipe us off the face of the Earth, the FIRST participants will eventually remove our immortal souls from these harmful carbon machines” (with, apparently in mind our bodies).
See also
- International Flying Robots Contest
- Eurobot
- DARPA Grand Challenge
- Siberian Robotic Festival "ROBOTECH"