Fun Wild Idea: Corporate Sponsors Build & Compete!

[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.

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by Mike Schreiber

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.

To be fair, most FRC teams can't build a working robot.

[themccannman]

Originally Posted by Mike Schreiber

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.

I didn't say they were dumb, or stupid. But none of them specialize in any of the fields used in FRC. Besides, mayim bialik, all of the others have a background entirely in acting. I feel like simply having them promote FRC would be a better choice. Having them build a robot wouldn't add to visibility. However, maybe having them team up with experienced mentors and building robots to compete against each other might be more successful and interesting.

[Citrus Dad]

Originally Posted by 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...

I like that idea - Big Bang Theory vs Mythbusters!