Questions you've been asked about robotics

[Lisa Rodriguez]

"Girls can build robots?"
"Where do you do it?"
"Why do you only have 6 weeks"
"How can you do it with THOSE people"
"Can I join?"(note this is ALWAYS in the middle of build and once i mention atlanta, and i DO say next year)
"You're doing WHAT for robotics???"(i'm dying my hair, well robotics is ONE of the reasons....andy)
"That's how you know all those people from other towns?"

that's all i have for right now........

[Eugenia Gabrielov]

I just got asked this question...

"So what is it that you program your creature to do?"

hahahai got that once i think....people in my school are wierd so they ask stupid questions..

i usually get asked like "wht is a robot?...does it talk?"

[JakeGallagher]

1) So, it's like BattleBots right? <No>
2) Why don't you make it fight? <That's against the rules>
3) Why can't you make it fight? <That's not the point of the game>
4) So why do you do it if it isn't cool like BattleBots? <...>

[KyleGilbert45]

My favorite question of all time asked by "outsiders"

How much does/did that thing cost?


How can you put a price on the hard-work and dedication it took to build these machines? Of course you could give them a raw materials cost, but is that really even close to the "actual" cost?

[Courtneyb1023]

"so..they give you the instructions and you just build it ..everyone's is the same..right???"

i get that a lot

[Billfred]

I get a lot of BattleBots questions--after a while, I kinda learned to bounce off that in order to get the idea across.

Sometimes it actually works.

(Of course, then I have to explain that it's a high school competition, but that's just my personal problem.

[tiffany34990]

i get from some people..

so when are you guys going to build a robot that does all the chores around the house... like rosie on the Jetsons..??

the bot weights how much???

the robot moves on it's own (auto mode)??

are there instructions to make the bot?? a kit with everything in it????

[Nadav Zingerman]

"So all the robots accomplish the same task? You'll never win that way, yours has to do something completely different."

Probably more my failure to explain the game than anything else. I would have explained further, but the taxi ride was over and I really had to be in my pit...

[mrbob1000]

Whenever i talk to people about robotics they usually ask

"dont you have to be smart?"
"doesnt it take up all of your time?"
"is it like a kit?"
"are you guys any good?"

and then i always get the usual questions like
"is it like battle bots?"
"what do you do?"

[Mr. Pockets]

A few I've got include:

-"Do you love robotics?" (That came after I had spent the last hour or so droning about FIRST to the kids I was babysitting. I'm almost wondering if it was a rhetorical question...)

-"Why don't you put some sort of jammer on it?" (Came after I asked my family for suggested robot improvements. Kind of a running joke now)

I've also gotten a few questions about what my team t-shirt is for. Oddly enough, I don't remember ever being asked if FIRST like battlebots. Instead the ones I get are from the other direction (why isn't it like battlebots?)

[Molten]

Originally Posted by JakeGallagher

1) So, it's like BattleBots right? <No>

Interesting, my answer is yes. It is a lot like BattleBots, just with a different goal. This generally leads to, "what's the goal?" and a bit more interest. I mean, let's face it...Battlebots has done a service for FIRST in that it gets people to come and start a conversation. Even if that start is always, "Is it like BattleBots?". I'm just happy they asked a question.

[wendymom]

"what do you feed it?"

asked by a third grader at a demo

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by wendymom

"what do you feed it?"

asked by a third grader at a demo

The answer is: really awful bad hints.

--
My favorite question: so... long pause... if your son graduated a long time ago, why do you stay involved?.. long pause...
followed by my 3 minute elevator speech that goes on for days.

[demosthenes2k8]

Usually, it's "Only six weeks? Are you serious?"
followed by...
"A new robot every year? Are you serious?"
followed by...
"And students build this? Are you serious?"
etc...

(They don't always repeat what I say, but when they do it's funny.)