While I actively support this idea for teams who have access to all the tools needed to machine and build miniFRC robots such as this, not everyone has this opportunity. The great thing about Vex is that you can inspire students about engineering from just about anywhere. You do not need all the resources of a FRC team to run a Vex team. This is one of the main reasons why the growth of FRC has been slowing down - because people do not have the resources (money, facilities, tools, and/or mentors) to continue to fund and expand the program. The great thing about Vex is that it eliminates many of these problems, and expands FIRST to reach a greater audience.
Although I appreciate your enthusiasm for teaching students about the whole engineering process, an attitude of "let's replace Vex with our program" is not the right one. Maybe a "we've developed an advanced curriculum for teaching the engineering process to students to complement the FRC build season" attitude would fair better.
Just because the FRC was the initial competition does not mean that it is the best FIRST Competition, and all the others are inferior. The FIRST Lego League has grown to six times the size of FRC in half the time. Why? Because FLL is much cheaper, does not need the intense engineering; and because of this it appeals to a wider audience. Although teaching the engineering process is important, for many students, getting them to think creatively on their own and use their imagination is just as, if not more important. And both the Vex and the FLL programs can inspire students doing just that.
Just because Vex may not involve big huge robots does not mean that it is incapable of inspiring students. In fact, I think Vex can inspire a much wider percantage of the population to appreciate science and engineering than FRC does.
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Originally Posted by bill mc gowan
I also believe it could be an opportunity for IFI to create mini controllers and we could grow this and create MORE teams.
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You mean like the EDU / Robovation controllers?
