[PhilBot]

The big (HUGE) difference between FTC and FRC (I coach both) is that:

FRC is all about students working with Engineers and Manufacturing firms with the stated assumption that these firms will be providing manufacturing support so that the students can work side-by-side with these industry professionals in their normal environment. In several FRC kickoffs, Woodie has said that FRC Teams that insist that the students do everything without working closely with industry partners "aren't getting it".

Where as in FTC (and FLL) the students are meant to do all the work. That's why they have much more time to do it, and everything is scaled down. So unless the teams break the spirit of this difference, FTC won't turn into FRC.

I also think that there is this assumption that having better tools automatically makes a team's robot better. The reverse is true, better tools usually place higher demands on student and mentor training: eg: CAD to produce drawings, and student design ability to conceve of a part well enough to create an accurate drawing.

Sure, better tools will enable a good team to do even better. But based on many robots I've seen at competitions, many teams are struggling with even the most basic tools. Giving them a CNC machine would NOT help.

This is one reason what we've chosen to add a Robot clinic to the front of our FTC Qualifier this year, with the goal of ensuring that every team that attends has a solid working foundation, to build on during the remainder of the season.

Phil.