First Robotics Competition

[why06]

First Robotics Competition 2009

FRC is a international robotics competition sponsored by an assortment of partners ranging from NASA to Autodesk, that allows high school students to build and design a robot.

THE GAME: [animation]
LUNACY is played on a 54' x 27' low friction field. Robots are equipped with slippery wheels and payload trailers. LUNACY game pieces are “Orbit Balls” designated as Moon Rocks, Empty Cells, or Super Cells. Two three-team robot alliances collect and score Orbit Balls in trailers attached to the opposing teams’ robots. Human players are positioned around the perimeter of the arena and can score from their stations. Robots are autonomous during the first 15 seconds of play, and teleoperated for the remaining 2 minutes. Trailers begin each match empty, and robots may be loaded with up to 7 Moon Rocks by their team prior to the start of the match.
Human players are equipped with 20 Moon Rocks, less the number they load into their robot, and a quantity of Empty Cells and Super Cells determined by the outcome of their previous match. If a team has not yet played a match, the human player receives 4 Empty Cells and 2 Super Cells. Moon Rocks and Empty Cells scored in an opponent’s trailer, at any time and by any player, are worth 2 points. Super Cells scored in an opponent’s trailer are worth 15 points. Super Cells must be “activated” before they can be played. Activation occurs when a robot delivers an Empty Cell from their Outpost to their Fueling Station. Empty Cells can be delivered throughout the match. Super Cells may only be played during the last 20 seconds of a match.


Well for all its worth our school's robotics team is competing in the Palmetto Regionals, our team number is 1466.
Here is the podcast. Its not very interesting to watch, practice rounds don't start till tomorrow. However its more interesting actually being here... except for the cheesy music. Ultimately this is the culmination of all the time and effort put into building a viable robot for the past three months.

Palmetto Regional Podcast -live video feed of competition.

 

[Mee_n_Mac]

I think it's great they get kids involved in "the technical arts" with these type of things. Too bad they don't have a version of this or MIT's ME 2.70 (or whatever it's now called) "competition" available in every high school. That all said I want my BattleBots back !

EDIT : Wouldn't this thread be better suited to the old Tech Forum or perhaps even Freespace ?

 

[why06]

I was going to place this thread in the Technology forum but I couldn't find, but perhaps Free Space would be a better spot.

PS: We were thinking of attaching a flame thrower to it! It would be a hell of a first round...but then we probably get disqualified. :L