FIRST Robotics Competition shifts Into Overdrive
At the kickoff of this year’s FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), more than 1,500 teams, each consisting of 10 to 20 high-school students and a few engineering mentors, received a common kit of parts.
Teams have six
weeks to use the
kits to design and
build robots to compete in this year’s
challenge, dubbed FIRST Overdrive.
Forty-one regional competitions will
lead to the FRC Championship at
the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, April
17 to 19.
Teams are judged not on final
score, but on overall performance,
including problem solving, innovation,
teamwork, community
engagement, and fostering greater
levels of respect and honor for science
and technology.
More than 37,500 high-school
students will participate, along
with 21,000 mentors, 6,300 volunteers,
and more than 2,500 sponsors.
Participating students can apply for more than $9.5 million in
scholarships.
FIRST was founded by Dean
Kamen, inventor of the Segway
Human Transporter.