[Libby K]

Originally Posted by chrisfl

I believe the RI3D is a mockery of FIRST and ruins the original intentions of the FIRST program. RI3D makes students believe that they can just copy designs and do little thinking. RI3D really shouldn't make videos showing, in detail, how every function works so the teams that do copy have some kind of figuring out to do.

How exactly are the three-day-build programs a mockery of FIRST? If anything, the sponsors and suppliers that are participating are intensifying the challenge, and giving teams that might not have the resources or time to prototype as extensively as they want to, the ability to take bits and pieces of things that they know work and tweak it to fit what they want. I know my students did that with some of our prototype ideas.

What's so different from looking to the three-day-build robots vs. looking at old games' robots? For example, how many people this year went immediately to 2008 design ideas? They're a great jumping-off-point to work forward from.

This post sums it up really well. A quote right from the FIRST founder's mouth in an interview about innovation.
(The full interview with FedEx can be found here).

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: If you don't like the idea, then don't watch - but it does offer a lot of help to those who do.