Hoping won't make it so....get out there and do it. Beg your butt off for sponsorship and "git er done". Kidding aside. Teams just have to pool their resources and jump in with both feet. We have been doing just that. As most people already know, we try new things like doing underwater robotics. So far barely any FIRST teams have tried it. (
www.h2orobots.org) We are also attempting to do our first "DARPA". The ONR hosts an autonomous under water competition and we are doing the lab work and coding to see if we can make the next jump. One device we need cost 12k. Its the Doppler Velocity Logger. That is not stopping us though, we are looking for used ones or one we could barrow. I really would like to see more FIRST teams join our "underwater FIRST" and try something new and challenging in new areas. The FIRST models works great, we live by it. It is what helped us to beat MIT three time in the MATE National ROV event! Maybe we will jump in the big world with the big boys and do DARPA one year soon. We are working toward it. DARPA inspired us like a lot of people, the question is.....what are you going to do with that inspiration?