different robot contests

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Posted by Fran .

Other on team #166, Team Merrimack, from Merrimack High School and Unitrode/R.S. Machines.

Posted on 8/7/99 10:06 AM MST



In case anyone is interested, I came across a similar smaller scale version of FIRST inTX called BEST(boosting engineering science and technology). Kind of like an expanded science fair . You can check out the site at
www.tamu.edu/texasbest/ It is interesting to see different games and limits(24 pound robots). Afterall you never know what will inspire your creativity, so check it out.

'mom'

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Posted by Jon.

Engineer on team #190, Gompei, from Mass Academy of Math and Science and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Posted on 8/7/99 4:36 PM MST


In Reply to: different robot contests posted by Fran on 8/7/99 10:06 AM MST:



BEST is a lot of fun! The kids are younger, the bots are lighter, and usually wooden. The underlying rules are similar with the time and materials limits, etc.
All in all, very cool.
-jon

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Posted by Joe Johnson.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]


Engineer on team #47, Chief Delphi, from Pontiac Central High School and Delphi Automotive Systems.

Posted on 8/7/99 6:34 PM MST


In Reply to: different robot contests posted by Fran on 8/7/99 10:06 AM MST:



I have two questions:

1) is BEST still going strong? The rules only mention a 98 competiton (not a 99 competition).

2) is this the 'splitter group' from Texas Instruments that was involved in FIRST (then U.S. FIRST) in the early days but decided that they could do a better job themselves?

Anybody know the answers...

Do tell...


Joe J.

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Posted by Greg Mills.

Engineer on team #16, Baxter Bomb Squad, from Mountain Home and Baxter Healthcare.

Posted on 8/7/99 7:15 PM MST


In Reply to: BEST questions posted by Joe Johnson on 8/7/99 6:34 PM MST:




Yes to both questions. BEST will about eight or nine regionals this fall. This competition has spread into Chicago, Oklahoma City, and Northwest Arkansas. I have been involved with the Arkansas hub for last couple of years and have watched the growth.
Go to bestinc.org for info about all the competition. BEST is not even in the same league as FIRST but the popularity is due to the affordablilty and lack of resource drain. The direction of BEST appears to be to have a much lesser impact on the lives of more students. I am a bigtime FIRST supporter but maybe we should look at why BEST is on the verge of the growth that we all want for FIRST. ( but then is 40% growth per year not good?!)

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Posted by Jon.

Engineer on team #190, Gompei, from Mass Academy of Math and Science and Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Posted on 8/7/99 9:52 PM MST


In Reply to: BEST questions posted by Joe Johnson on 8/7/99 6:34 PM MST:



BEST is doing well. I was part of the College Station, TX hub before going full speed on FIRST. I've worked closely with part of the advisory group and some of the stuff they've got planned for 99 is pretty neat.

As for #2, yes. A different approach towards the same goals so i'm all for it.

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Posted by Tom Vanderslice.

Student on team #275, ORHS/AST/Hitachi, from Academy of Science and Technology and Hitachi.

Posted on 8/15/99 1:40 PM MST


In Reply to: BEST questions posted by Joe Johnson on 8/7/99 6:34 PM MST:



Well first off...a big howdy to everyone on the delphi board...i'm back in school (yup...started aug. 11 ...and so i'm back
on a regular schedule and realized it'd been a little while since i had checked out the good 'ole delphi board...boy was
I surprised to see a question about BEST on here...

Little bit of background on me, i've done BEST the last two years and like Jon was in the college station hub.

BEST is still going very very strong...for instance, the college station hub had gotten so huge that they had to turn away
teams that were not within one county of them (which means all the people from houston had to find some place else to go)
luckily, some groups got together and managed to start a hub for houston that happens to be about 10 minutes from my
house...the one problem they have is updating hte website.. ...it is a pain when there is no new info...but the website
is basically used for question/answers during the 6week competition...last year the website didnt' mentiont he 99 competition
until kickoff day...

I think BEST is awesome...it's a great kind of prepper for FIRST...its a much smaller scale...and it helps you get back
into that robotics mind set after summer...and all around good project for the fall semester...one of my favorite things about
it is it is very cheap... ...they hand you a box of parts on the first day and that's all you can use...you have a couple sheets
of plywood...some plexiglass...and some pvc....there's your structure...you find a kid's garage to work in and you use a
few power tools and you build...and most importantly...it is ALL students...one thing it reallys helps with is the whole
concept of simplification...we get so used to drawing a part in autocad and having it magically appear in front of us
in a day or two...when you have to actually take a piece fo plywood and a jig saw and cut that shape or when this screw
is too big and that screw is too small and you don't have anything in between or you don't have a screw that is long enough
and you have to change a whole design for the sake of one stupid screw...you learn to make your designs much simpler...
you stick with what works and you move on to the next problem...

but anyway...i love BEST...and i love FIRST...but they are two very different competitions...we spend more sending one kid to
disney world then we do on EVERYTHING in BEST...its a much different scale...

unfortunantely this year my school has decided they are only gonna let us do BEST or FIRST...(don't ask...just know that
we're fighting it to the very end...)...and if it comes down to it...we will be doing FIRST...but you better believe i will be at the
BEST competition...b/c...what can i say..i'm addicted..

Tom