FIRST vs Battlebots- which has had the greater impact on society?
 

This poll is not supposed to be a flame war between FIRST and Battlebots nor a place to take shots at either.

But to be frank, I keep seeing Battlebots posted as some sort of reviled enemy on these boards and it seems to me that both organizations have a lot of merit.

The original goal of FIRST was to get young people inspired to pursue futures in technology. But it seems to me wherever I go people ask if our robot is a Battlebot.

In your opinion which organization HAS had the greater impact on getting young people interested in robots?

Without negative comments maybe you might want to discuss why.

I think that they are both important. Battlebots has the flash and pizazz that interests the youth. It gets their creative juices flowing. FIRST takes those juices and places some boundaries. These boundaries force us to create in a real-world mind-set, but at a higher innovative and creativity level. The program leaves it participants with the same technological *high*, but with more inspiration and important values needed in our current chaotic state. Are both important? Most certainly, although I must admit that I have a certain bias because of the absence of education in engineering and business ethics I have found in Battlebots.*FIRST-aholic ;) *They are both important for getting our youth interesting in science and technology, a field high in demand for our future generations.

I think both have there ups on helping each other. Battlebots is a more public thing, dont get me wrong FIRST has its publicity but Battlebots gets more. When a young person sees battlebots and wants to get apart of it and then researches it and finds you either got have alot of money like your millionare (like alot of people on battelbots) or you gotta have a sponsor. Trying to find a sponsor for basicall one person is kinda hard. Trust me i was big into battlebots and looked on getting involved. Then from there FIRST takes the role and helps these kids who are interested in robots and puts that to use. FIRST does not want violence between the robots which is waht i like about FIRST. I mean anyone can put on a saw or a hammer and have a smashing robot, but FIRST takes it to the next level with adding a objective to this mission. Anyone can go out and just go hit things and smash things but it takes good minds to come up with a robot to stack boxes, pick up balls, etc etc.

Battlebots. It impacts society more because more people KNOW about it, and it can get them interested in technology. I mean... it's so commercialized, who DOESN'T know about battlebots? I think that FIRST is more beneficial to society, though.

It's all about advertising :p

If you ask people now what FIRST Robotics is, you'll be able to get a response from much more people than you would have 2 years ago. Newspaper, magazine, and tv coverage have been increasing each year for FIRST and now with Battlebots not on air anymore, FIRST will begin to impact much more into society. If you look at it along the lines of 'which competition has changed peoples lives the most' FIRST beats out Battlebots by a long shot. I think thats what leaving an impact is, not just getting someone excited about making a robot to destroy other robots.

Battlebots has had the greater impact for the mere fact that it is broadcast on comedy central and contains a great deal of robot violence :)

FIRST has nowhere near that amount of publicity.

Actually you probably could build a robot for a couple hundred dollars if you are clever enough. Also now there are weight classes that can be built very cheaply.
Easier said than done. Not to mention saws are really poor weapons.
Yeah but that actually helped spur on its popularity. Now there are competitions all over the country now.

As engineers we should aspire to create, not destroy. If this is the case, why would we want to create machines with the sole purpose to destroy?

This is my biggest complaint about Battlebots, and my biggest appreciation of FIRST. While Battlebots’ main focus is on the gladiator type games of destruction and mayhem, FIRST brings a more civilized excitement through games fashioned after today’s competitive sports.

As has been said, Battlebots, (and it's offspring: Robot Wars, Robotica, etc.) have had an impact on the "Man and Machine" and the "Glory of Mechanics" aspect of robotics.

Battlebots, in particular, had a positive and negative impact in society.
Postive: Ask anyone on the street about the coolest robot they have ever seen, and chances are they'll describe some battle bot. This has been positive because it shows that people can have an interest in something other than the NFL, NBA, etc. Negative: Ask anyone on the street if they could build a robot what would it do? They would probably, again, describe some type of battle bot. This is negative because it shows robotics harnessing the destructive nature of humans.

FIRST has also had a positive and negative effect on society.
Positive: Almost everyone who has gone through the program and their close friends have learned a greater respect for mechanics, even if they don't want to be an engineer or machinist.
Negative: Team politics have ruined the program and the intended goal of FIRST for many students. Showing someone that no matter how hard they work, it may be all for nothing, isn't a good message. (Now, I don't mean losing at competition, so don't reply as if I were, I mean teams falling apart, mentors not caring, monetary situations, etc.) Yes, it is reality, but no, it's not always going to be that way.

Summary:
Battlebots and FIRST has provided society with a new thought toy. Even if someone wants to design a battle bot, they still want to design a machine. If someone isn't sure where they are going in life, they can find their place in the vast reach of FIRST. Personal attitudes and indifferences towards new things will show which will have a greater future impact. I think it's too early to tell (even though FIRST has been around for over 10 years). Wait until this generation has kids and see what they do. That's when we'll know the impact.

I was just trying to make a point, but you know the really good robots have some pretty deep pockets :)

You are asking two different questions in your post and in your poll.

FIRST, by far, has had the greatest impact on society as a whole. Battlebots does not have any depth - it is a program designed to design, build, and create a mechanical toy that destroys other things. However, Battlebots has done more to spark public interest (outside of high schools, aka). Pick a random person off the street and ask them what FIRST is, and most likely they will not know. Ask them if they've ever heard of Battlebots, and you'll probably get a yes.

Battlebots is a TV show designed for those who like to sit around and watch things... and FIRST is a program designed for those who like to make those things happen.

battlebots, because anyone anywhere (almost) knows what it is . . . but almost nobody who isn't involved in FIRST knows what it is.

well even if they dont know what FIRST is you can relate it by saying. Do you know who dean kamen is inventor of the segway. That ish ow you can get someone interested in FIRST. That is how i get sponsorthip for are team is telling them dean kamens accomplishments

Since i dont have cable - FIRST

My opinion is that FIRST has had a greater impact.

When I watch Battlebots I don't appreciate the technology and effort that went into building them, not nearly as much as I do when I see robots in FIRST. I think the only impact that Battlebots has had is to increase the awareness about building robots. This publicity makes people more receptive to other organizations such as FIRST, I think, because it gives them something to compare and contrast it to. But I think the spectators of FIRST truly appreciate the engineering that went into the robots, not simply the entertainment that comes with Battlebots. I don't view Battlebots as a negative thing, however, because it was a step, a step toward making robot competitions a more common activity. I don't think it has changed society though, whereas FIRST has impacted many lives.