The FIRST FRC Match Simulator, 5th Gear, had its first appearance at the 2008
NASA/VCU Regional in Richmond, Virginia. This year, after being released publicly mid-build season (
http://thinktank.wpi.edu/article/141), 5th Gear will be appearing as an exhibit at several regionals. At each of these exhibits, attendees will be able to play in simulated 6 player Lunacy matches. At some of the exhibits, top-scoring teams might even earn a trophy or other prize... Make sure to work on your 5th Gear skills!
In addition, a group of WPI students participating in an Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP) are are researching the implications of the 5th Gear simulator on the FIRST community, including surveys on different competition formats. By participating in these surveys and sending in your feedback, you can help shape future offerings of 5th Gear. For more information, contact
roboiqp@wpi.edu.
To see a list of regionals that exhibits have been announced for, make sure to visit
http://forums.usfirst.org/showthread.php?t=11971.
Remember that if your regional(s) aren't listed, you can host your own 5th Gear exhibit with some laptops and volunteers!