ricecookie
Member
Has anyone ever heard of a robotics competition called US FIRST? I participated in the competition in highschool and was wondering if anyone wanted to share their experience.
US FIRST Robotics
- Thread starter ricecookie
- Start date
D
daniel411
Guest
Sounds kind of cool, whats it about?
ricecookie
Member
Its a competition that invlovles thousands of schools across the US along with a few international teams. Every year the rules change. But pretty much, there are always 4 robots on a playing field trying to accomplish complex tasks. Part of the task is automated and part og the task is controlled remotely. Each robot is must weigh less than 130 lbs and has to fit in a 5 by 3 by 4 foot box at the start of the match, but can grow bigger after the match has started. All robots must be constructed using nothing but the motors and electronics that come in a kit provided by FIRST. However, all of the hardware (gears, aluminum bar, plastic, etc) can be ordered from tens of thousands of parts in a catalog that is provided. Each robot usually ends up costing around 2500 - 5000 dollars. If you are in highschool and are intersted in forming a team, go to www.usfirst.org. Most schools have a teacher that will sposor them. It does cost quite a bit of money though. 5000 dollar entry fee, plus travel/board. First year teams usually recieve a grant from nasa that coners the entry fee. I cannot say enough good things about this competition.
