Fun Wild Idea: Corporate Sponsors Build & Compete!

[Citrus Dad]

We were throwing around an idea about how to companies might get more engaged in FRC. We thought that FIRST could invite a half dozen sponsoring companies such as Boeing, Lockheed, Northrup, GM, Ford and Chrysler to each meet the game challenge, build a robot in 6 weeks and then compete in a special match on Einstein. It might generate a buzz about the competition and more actively engage the companies in FIRST.

We didn't get into the specifics of logistics etc other than there should be a budget limit, e.g., $10k each. We're more interested in first impressions about the idea before going off into the particulars about how it would work.

[cadandcookies]

I like it. With the right sponsors on board, I could image some very inspirational robots.

[asid61]

That would be very interesting, and the enthusiam would be there when pitching it. But people would have to take time and money to design them, unless it's voluntary. If Mr. Kamen ever got on this, it could be pitched as positive media for FIRST and for the companies involved.

[nathannfm]

Originally Posted by Citrus Dad

There should be a budget limit, e.g., $10k each.

Sounds like a cool idea!
I just want to point out that the rest of us are already held to a budget limit of $4,000, why not use the same limit/same rest of the robot rules?



(inb4 RI3D debate)

[asid61]

Originally Posted by nathannfm

Sounds like a cool idea!
I just want to point out that the rest of us are already held to a budget limit of $4,000, why not use the same limit/same rest of the robot rules?



(inb4 RI3D debate)

They might have to pay for machining and other costs we don't usually include.
Plus, with more cash, they can make way cooler robots.

[Doc Wu]

How about including a celebrity team? I'd like to see what Will-i-am and the Black Eyed Peas come up with. Or a team from Mythbusters...

[mrnoble]

I don't want our primary sources of mentors to focus on corporate promotion to the detriment of helping students, so I don't like the idea. The resources have to be taken from somewhere, and it would probably come out of time spent with students. That said, getting it into the hands of the Discovery channel might be a great idea.

[Citrus Dad]

Originally Posted by mrnoble

I don't want our primary sources of mentors to focus on corporate promotion to the detriment of helping students, so I don't like the idea. The resources have to be taken from somewhere, and it would probably come out of time spent with students. That said, getting it into the hands of the Discovery channel might be a great idea.

I would hope that limiting it to just a half dozen firms, and then small build teams, wouldn't divert resources, and the publicity would more than offset the loss of resources in the near term.

[themccannman]

Originally Posted by mrnoble

I don't want our primary sources of mentors to focus on corporate promotion to the detriment of helping students, so I don't like the idea. The resources have to be taken from somewhere, and it would probably come out of time spent with students. That said, getting it into the hands of the Discovery channel might be a great idea.

You seem to think that every engineer that a company (GM, lockheed, boeing) would put on their design team would be someone who's already mentoring a FIRST team. That's certainly not the case. All of these companies have plenty of employees to spare to put on a team for a month to design a robot, no teams is going to lose any mentors to the "pro teams".

Just an aside, but discovery channel associates have gone the way of TLC, they hardly do any educational programming anymore (let alone anything worth watching). Celebrity casts would be a disaster too, unless those celebrities happened to be trained engineers/programmers. I guarantee you the cast of big bang theory could not build a robot.

[Jon Stratis]

Originally Posted by themccannman

. I guarantee you the cast of big bang theory could not build a robot.

But they can drive one at least as well as some teams!
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XVczPBZ5oxU

[Jared Russell]

I propose calling this outlandish idea the "FIRST Robotics Competition".

[The_ShamWOW88]

Originally Posted by Jared Russell

I propose calling this outlandish idea the "FIRST Robotics Competition".

I see what you did there....

[FrankJ]

Originally Posted by Jon Stratis

But they can drive one at least as well as some teams!
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XVczPBZ5oxU

Is that a game hint?

[Flimsor]

I think I this is a great idea! I heard that a long time ago Dean Kamen invited a bunch of sponsors to do something like this. At one point, they ended up betting on each other, with all the money going to FIRST

[Mike Schreiber]

Originally Posted by themccannman

I guarantee you the cast of big bang theory could not build a robot.

They have a science consultant who is a physics professor at UCLA, and actress Mayim Bialik (plays Amy) has her PhD in neuroscience. They're smart people, they may not be engineers, but I'm sure they could build a working robot, even if it isn't Einstein level.