ESPN Magazine Mini-Article on FIRST - 8 May 2006

[Ken Streeter]

The latest issue of "ESPN, The Magazine" (May 8, 2006, page 46) includes a brief article on FIRST, which sounds to have come from FIRST Public Relations:

(Photo of 2006 Granite State Regional QF2, showing 1138 and 1276 robots, plus human player of 1519, and drivers of 133, 1519, and 1276)

BATTLE BOTS

In the last week of April, 10,000 screaming teens will pack the Georgia Dome, and Kelly Clarkson won't be anywhere in sight. Instead, 340 of the world's top high school robotics teams will compete to determine who's built the best 'bots. The championship is the crown jewel of FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an initiative that Segway Inventor Dean Kamen founded after U.S. students fell to 19th in the world in science and technology on standardized tests. FIRST, which gets its funding from large corporations, sent each team a $17,000 robot kit with 350 parts and instructions to build a 'bot that can shoot a ball into a hoop or a goal. Among the limitations: a $3,500 spending cap and a 120-pound weight limit. Successful teams are eligible to win millions in college scholarships. "Last year, more U.S. kids got degrees in sports management than in all engineering fields combined," Kamen says. "That has to change." Of course, when the robots go pro, they'll have no problem finding an agent. -- Molly Knight

[Travis Hoffman]

Originally Posted by Ken Streeter

The latest issue of "ESPN, The Magazine" (May 8, 2006, page 46) includes a brief article on FIRST, which sounds to have come from FIRST Public Relations:

So what's with this media infatuation with incorrectly linking success on the field to eligibility for "millions of dollars of scholarships"? I've seen this before. You'd think the geniuses would actually get it right for once and state that the scholarships are open to students on any FIRST team, regardless of their robot's competitive performance. But I guess the truth shouldn't get in the way of a good "story". And what's up with the "Battle Bots" header?

I didn't know we received "$17,000" worth of kit parts each year, either. I'm going to take my unused kit crimp terminals and sell them on Ebay for $50 a pop.

Never did like ESPN much.

[dlavery]

Originally Posted by T. Hoffman

I didn't know we received "$17,000" worth of kit parts each year, either. I'm going to take my unused kit crimp terminals and sell them on Ebay for $50 a pop.

Yeah, you do. It starts with a $10,000 seat of Autodesk software, and adds up quickly after that. Go through the entire kit some time - and by that I mean EVERYTHING that you get - and add up the retail prices of all the items. You will be surprised at just how much you do get for the cost of the kit.

-dave

[mtaman02]

Originally Posted by dlavery

Yeah, you do. It starts with a $10,000 seat of Autodesk software

Yeah the $10,000 Autodesk Software, The $1,200 - $2,000 Robot Controller Kit with all necessary Cables and Electronics and programs to get robot thinking quickly =) and if FIRST hadn't provided it to you the shipping and handling as well and don't forget taxes =) - you already up to $12,000. Anyone else wanna take a shot at estimating what each of the parts cost other then the 2 mentioned above =)

[nparikh]

Yep, now add the camera, sensors and that Google Camera they gave us...at least another few hundred dollars.

[Travis Hoffman]

Originally Posted by dlavery

Yeah, you do. It starts with a $10,000 seat of Autodesk software, and adds up quickly after that. Go through the entire kit some time - and by that I mean EVERYTHING that you get - and add up the retail prices of all the items. You will be surprised at just how much you do get for the cost of the kit.

-dave

Ah I still always neglect to include that *other* Autodesk software that comes in the separate package as part of the "kit". I was only thinking physical robot kit components. With that cost added in, I'm sure the value reaches or exceeds $17,000. Mea culpa.

But my comment on the scholarships still stands.

[Qbranch]

They made it sound like we just get a kit and some plans. It really misleads someone who has never herd of FIRST before; they would think we are just putting some kind of kit together following instructions .

And they said battle bots, which is entirely not what we do. (Plus thats what everyone says when you mention FIRST to them.)

At least they mentioned FIRST in ESPN, though

-Q

[Lil' Lavery]

Originally Posted by Qbranch

At least they mentioned FIRST in ESPN, though

-Q

The Championship event has been on ESPN2 before (although it wasn't too entertaining to watch. The the logos had to be blurred out on the robots etc.). Also, video footage from championship was shown on "Cold Pizza" on ESPN2 on Monday.

[Alexa Stott]

I just read the article in my ESPN Magazine. After I read it, I thought about it for a bit, and I emailed ESPN about a few of the aspects of the "mini-article" that weren't particularly true. I did, however, remember to mention that I appreciate, their efforts to publicize FIRST Robotics, but I wanted it be known that each robot is the product of the individual team's creation and that we are not at all like Battle Bots.

[ChuckDickerson]

Originally Posted by Qbranch

They made it sound like we just get a kit and some plans. It really misleads someone who has never herd of FIRST before; they would think we are just putting some kind of kit together following instructions .

Maybe that is partially our own fault. Maybe we should stop calling it a "Kit of Parts" and "KitBot", etc. and start calling it a "Pile of Parts" or "Boxes of Bits and Pieces" or something else. As long as we all keep calling it a "Kit" that's exactly what people outside of FIRST are going to think.

[Ken Streeter]

Originally Posted by DeepWater

Maybe that is partially our own fault. Maybe we should stop calling it a "Kit of Parts" and "KitBot", etc. and start calling it a "Pile of Parts" or "Boxes of Bits and Pieces" or something else. As long as we all keep calling it a "Kit" that's exactly what people outside of FIRST are going to think.

I agree that it would make sense to call the initial "pile of parts" something other than the "kit of parts" -- I really cringed when I saw the original article's wording that "FIRST... sent each team a $17,000 robot kit with ... instructions to build a 'bot that can shoot a ball into a hoop or a goal."

The article almost makes it sound like teams just needed to assemble a kit with complete instructions in the same way that one puts together a bicycle one purchased at ToysRUs, and that the assembled robot would be all set to shoot balls into the high goal! Then again, when I thought about it a bit more, I wasn't too worried, as most of the general populace has great trouble assembling a bicycle with complete instructions!

[379Robocat]

Something that is misleading in that article is that we are not handed this KOP worth $17,000. Teams pay for all of this through sponsorships and fundraising. The article seems to say if I read it correctly that the largest corporations GIVE FIRST money to send teams a KOP and they neglect to mention that the game each year changes. It doesn't mention that these major corporations mentor teams and their workers work together with local high schools to construct a robot to perform certain tasks. This makes FIRST seem really boring and it doesn't highlight the fun and exciting aspects of FIRST and what it is really about.

[John Neun]

$17,000, battlebots or not, all press is good press.

[Brian C]

Like the old Public Relations saying goes......Print whatever you want but make sure you spell our name right.


[i]sent each team a $17,000 robot kit with 350 parts and instructions to build a 'bot that can shoot a ball into a hoop or a goal.[/I]

Our kit must've been incomplete as we could not find the instructions