What we expect to see from FRC/FIRST in the next 5 years

[safiq10]

What do you guys expect to see from FRC/FIRST in the next 5 years. It could be anything from game, to larger pits, to smaller robot, or anything.

I expect to see robots.

[mlantry]

districts, districts every where

[Jay O'Donnell]

I predict technology will be advanced pretty far in five years to the point where FRC robots are a lot faster and stronger than they are now.

[Walter Deitzler]

I want to see IRI, live, in person, not just over a webcast. (I am a bit bitter, if you cannot tell.)

What do I want to see from FIRST? Districts in my area, and Missouri making a bigger presence on the international level.

[Andrew Schreiber]

I'm going to cheat, I'm going to say what I WANT to see.

Focus on documenting impact: We're an expensive program and right now it's difficult to prove that FTC/VEX/BEST/BunnyBot type programs are not as effective from a cost perspective.

Return to emphasis of partnering with industry: Looking back through FIRST's history teams that partnered closely with local industry were revered. Now many within FIRST revile them. I'd like to see HQ go back to comments about how this is not some science fair, this is a "professional sport" and we need trainers, we need experts, we need professional analysts and strategists. I'd love HQ to come out and say "Teams like 67, 1114, and 254? They get it!"

District Reorganization: Districts are a stop-gap measure to decrease apparent costs to teams (5k => 8 matches is bad, 5k => 24 matches is less bad) and it's wonderful for that. The problem is it's crap for changing our culture. It IS a bunch of nerds in a high school gym. It's not as awe inspiring as full size events used to be. I don't know what the solution here is but it needs to be investigated. (Of course, some of the Regionals are pretty badly run and I'd be embarrassed to bring higher ups or politicians to them too)

Decrease in Robot Size: I think this year's robot size decrease should stick. It opened up the field a lot and led to more exciting energetic games.

[Justin Shelley]

I HOPE to see a bigger public awareness for FIRST and all that we do. Right now FIRST has less of a public awareness, from what I've seen, then high school Rugby in America. To do this we as the FIRST community need to be proud of what we do and make it loud around our community and reach for reorganization for what we boldly do. I think FIRST should make a walkthrough of some kind for beginning teams that way they don't get overwhelmed with all FIRST has to offer. I would also like to see a large push from FIRST for all high schools to adopt a FIRST robotics program. Know I want to make sure and note that VEX and other robotics programs are excellent but I have participated in them and they are nothing like FIRST in any way; they seem better fitted for middle school students. If we as members of the FIRST community want to get the same recognition for what we do as varsity players get for what they do then we need to be loud and proud just like varsity sport players are.


What I HOPE FIRST never changes is how competitive it is while still maintaining GP. In other sports and clubs you either get a massive drive for winning with no regards to others or the rules or they don't care about winning just as long as "everyone has fun" and this doesn't promote good ethics either. FIRST seems to be unique with this large drive of winning and the wonderful thing we call GP.


In regard to the technology I hope FIRST progress with the times as technology grows and changes. I would like to see FIRST allow a touch interface controller for the robots along with more technologically advanced interfaces. I am satisfied with the size of the robot now and I would be alright with the size staying fairly similar but maybe changing slightly depending on the size of the game piece. I am for the use of instant replay to determine scoring and rule violations on the field because as a foundation promoting STEM we should use technology anywhere it can benefit us.


I'm sure I left out some great points that I hope others with more experience then me will hit on and what I've said here are my views and I want to make it clear that I'm not trying to speak for the entire FIRST community because I'm sure many people disagree with my opinions.

[orangemoore]

More Freedom

[M. Lillis]

We will see the continuation of popular games as each season's challenge. (Soccer, frisbee, basketball, etc.)

[Caleb Sykes]

1. The extinction of the Kit of Parts for most Veteran teams. Teams can still opt in to get it, but the majority of parts will be an online choice.

2. *Preliminary* schedules before some events. Note, preliminary (don't mess this one up by thinking that they are final)

3. An expansion of the district model. This model does not fit all regions though, so likely not an all-encompassing system.

4. Viewer-friendly games. i.e. you can explain the game reasonably well in 30 seconds.

5. Comparable robot size with continuation of frame perimeter maximum in place of length/width restrictions. They will never become larger than 28" by 38" (doorways).

6. Possible extra week of competitions (7 in addition to district championships and world championships) pushing back championships one week.

7. MORE. More teams, robots, matches, events, inspiration, videos, volunteers, students, mentors, experience, money, awards, etc...

8. High-scoring games that any level of team can participate in, but never feel constrained in.

9. Additional support for teams creating a simple robot. (Ri3D, easy out of the box bots for rookies)

10. New control system.

11. Revamping of either the structure/format of world championships or the procedure to qualify. Waitlisting will no longer be an option. My guess would be that either Engineering Inspiration or Rookie All-Star Teams will not qualify for Championships (from the remaining regional competitions)

12. More recognition: locally, nationally, and globally. This will affect FIRST in ways we cannot imagine, and the results will depend on from whom this recognition comes from.

13. Extremely slow reduction of robot-related rules.

[Calvin Hartley]

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Water.

Sorry.

In all seriousness, a few things I expect to see is easy to understand games, more districts and more teams.

[Alan Anderson]

I expect to see FIRST try to tackle the VEX/FTC conflict. (However, I'm not sure I expect great things to result from the attempt.)

I expect to see FRC continue to grow, but ever more slowly, as sponsorship becomes harder for new teams to find.

I expect to see FIRST tinker with competition robot budget rules.

I expect some sort of initiative from FIRST HQ that is intended to help teams recruit mentors.

Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber

I'd love HQ to come out and say "Teams like 67, 1114, and 254? They get it!"

The Hall of Fame isn't a sufficient statement?

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

The Hall of Fame isn't a sufficient statement?

Sufficient, perhaps. But not clear enough based on the amount of hate these teams have directed towards them.

[Joe G.]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

I expect to see FIRST try to tackle the VEX/FTC conflict. (However, I'm not sure I expect great things to result from the attempt.)

I think it's clear that they're already moving on this one, and to me, they're moving in a very smart direction, by not trying to "defeat" VEX outright, but compliment the VRC program.

Programs like VEX and FTC have always had a somewhat ambiguous purpose, as they attract two distinct classes of teams. The first is teams which, for any number of reasons, cannot participate in FRC. For students in these programs, VEX/FTC is the pinnacle of their high school robotics careers, and they take it very seriously as a result. Some may move onto FRC eventually, but the majority won't. These teams tend to choose VEX or FTC on the basis of cost, the curriculum options and classroom packages available, and the ease with which competitive robots can be built with relatively few students. VRC seems to have the clear advantage here. FIRST has not been able to match the VEX program on costs.

The second class of VEX/FTC team is the "feeder" team. This is a team closely associated with an established FRC program, or a team created the year before starting an FRC team, created primarily to give new members experience with robotics before tackling the big robots. Everyone involved with these teams knows that, while valuable, it's a stepping stone towards something larger. As a result, when deciding between programs, these teams weigh factors such as parallels in technical knowledge with FRC, ability to use manufacturing resources already available thanks to the FRC program, and the FRC/FTC joint world championship. Cost is less likely to be a pivotal factor, since these teams already have the resources to support a full blown FRC program.

When VRC got started, a whole lot of these feeder teams chose to move to VRC due to the investment in the VEX platform they had made in the FVC years. For the years following this, a lot of newly started feeder teams chose VRC on the relative merits of the VEX and Tetrix platforms. But starting last year with the expanded FTC material rules, things have started looking a lot more favorable for FTC for these teams. This change, of course, drives up the cost of FTC, making it even less favorable for the first type of team, making them even more likely to choose VEX.

The end result I see is, FTC establishes itself as the program of choice for FRC teams looking to build a feeder program. VEX, meanwhile, continues to exist and thrive as an alternative competition for places where FRC is impractical. Students in VRC get to compete for the title of Champions of the World with over 600 teams, rather than compete for Champions of the Side-Event with 100-odd teams. Meanwhile, FTC teams get to compete alongside their FRC parent-teams, and students are inspired to take the next step forward.

If I was starting a mid-size robotics program without a lot of money, to be run as part of a pre-engineering curriculum or as a couple of kids in a garage with an interest in this stuff, I'd choose VEX. Up until last year, if I was starting a mid-sized robotics program to help teach incoming freshmen the basics, I would have still chosen VEX. But based on changes FIRST has made, the answer for the feeder teams, to me at least, is clearly FTC for the first time since the 2009 season.

[waialua359]

I hope this is actually sooner. At CMP with so many teams and great robots in each division, allow 4 teams per alliance like IRI where you play any 3.
No need for timeouts and more teams make eliminations.