[dtengineering]

I've been watching the finals of this event and am impressed.

The details they have announced about next year's game... local events, regional events, plus the Championship of the Americas (Omaha, Nebraska), Pan Pacific Championships (Hawaii) and Asian Robotics League Championship, all topped off with the World Championships in the spring... middle school, high school and college/university levels of competition... options for extended autonomous, OR no autonomous or the current mix (no details on how it will all work) are exciting.

The registration fees are... impressive: $75 for the first team from a school. $25 per team for each extra team from that school. And it is all done using a tested, proven control system with a wide range of components available.

It sounds like IFI has been listening to the feedback that teams have been giving FIRST about the VEX/FTC game.

One other interesting item I noticed... the game "sounds" (that start and end the game and telop mode) are the same as FIRST's... it may be possible that IFI owns the Intellectual Property on much of the current FIRST control systems.

In any case, I don't think our school's four VEX kits will be gathering dust on the shelf next year!

Jason