Re: Mini Bot - displeasure
 

I think we all can build a minibot from the supplied first choice kit, and maybe some of us (maybe my team, who knows) won't be able to build the best one, or the fastest one. BUT if we help our kids think through solutions given our unique limitations and skillsets, they will benefit and we'll have done our job. I'm astounded that folks can get so worked up over this - not the end of the world and the best thing we can do for our students is to NOT whine and be exemplars of lousy attitude...oh, and teach them to think through tough circumstances. innovation is nothing without resilience.

Re: Mini Bot - displeasure
 

I could be wrong but from what i am reading here are the reason why people are upset.

-This stinks of helping the partners of FTC out since VEX is kicking its butt
-Its expensive
-It kills most creative ideas.
-Gives way to many points and makes most of the 2 min in a match far less important. aka king of the hill.
- If we wanted to compete in FTC we would not have signed up for FRC

Re: Mini Bot - displeasure
 

I'm a big supporter of VEX, but don't have a problem with FIRST requiring a specific battery and motor to be used on the mini-bot. It could have been a futaba servo, it could have been a banebots motor, but there had to be some limits on the motor and battery, just as there are limits on the motor and battery for the big robot. (Now if they'd had Lithium batteries and brushless motors.... THAT would have been cool, because I know that teams would be flying up the pole!) The fact that they used FTC parts... well... they had to choose something and its not like there is anything wrong with FTC. I volunteer at the events and see kids getting a good experience. Sure they could save a few bucks with VEX, but the important thing is they are involved.

I share the disappointment that the motors and battery are required, but at least the controllers are not. This leaves teams free to do a lot of interesting mechanical work.

Do I think FIRST made a bad move dumping VEX? Yeah! But I'm over that. Time to move on... VEX is good for kids (perhaps even better than had it remained with FIRST), FTC is good for kids, and FRC is good for kids. Teams have lots of choice of non-Tetrix materials to use should they want to.

So get building! I want to see some video of mini-bots climbing in the next couple of weeks.

Jason

Re: Mini Bot - displeasure
 

All I can say about the Minibot is - what a fun opportunity! We had several ideas presented this evening and as quickly as one idea was introduced, it would spur another idea. It was really fun!

Re: Mini Bot - displeasure
 

If you ask me, every team has the same set of ruling on what they can and cannot use, so therefore there is nothing that makes it "unfair"

Re: Mini Bot - displeasure
 

FIRST isn't about the robot right? It is suppose to be the acquiring of skills and appreciation for science and technology right? To embrace that idea there is the 6 week time limit.

We cannot expect the problems we want to solve to present itself and have at our disposal everything we want to solve it as we envision. We have to work with what we got. Expecting the minibots to not have such vast restrictions? Doesn't this go against the idea of teaching kids how to solve problems in a limited time frame with limited resources.

Doesn't this make the minibots exciting in another sense? Having to struggle with implementing ideas while facing the crisis of unavailable resources that you need to work around.

For me it is kind of like programming. The computer does not know what you want, so it defines a limited number of tools. Using those limited number of tools you work around making a substitute for something that doesn't exist.

Pestering a boss about needing this "needed" object is how I am seeing this also. There are limitations, but you need to face that you can't do anything about them and work around it. Like how some teams use some tools to mimic the function of another because they can't afford it.

It may be frustrating to see limits, but you cannot deny that they don't exist in life.

Re: Mini Bot - displeasure
 

I've been having trouble just setting up a frame for the minibot the pieces don't line up for m i think we need more than just the TETRIX® Resource Set

Re: Mini Bot - displeasure
 

You do have more. See the acceptable additional materials list that can be used to build the minibot. Plenty of room for creativity and problem solving.: :) :)