Fantastic Robots This Year

[Andy Baker]

Yes, I totally agree. Great point, Matt.

I strongly feel that this is the #1 ingredient to growing the FIRST program.

If the general public (or the media) sees a "box on wheels" scoot 3 feet and team members cheering, they just don't get it. However, if people see a team working on a robot that can do amazing things, then things are different. The robot suddenly is an attracting force for people not involved with FIRST. Crowds gather. Team members swell with pride. Team supporters work harder to fundraise. FIRST fever gets contagious.

A well-working FIRST robot can be charismatic. People are attracted to it. Teams rally behind it. Little kids stare with wide eyes. Relatives say to their friends "look at what my niece helped invent". This is an awesome thing.

I really hope that these robots will work as well as they appear. I hope that it's not just teams 25, 118, 86, 968, and 1523 who can toss in 10 balls in 10 seconds. The GDC has given FIRST a good game. Now, it's the teams job to make it show well on the playing field. People will gravitate to FIRST if these robots can do what they appear to be able to do. Let's keep working hard to make it so.

Good luck,
Andy Baker

[Tom Bottiglieri]

Originally Posted by Andy Baker

I really hope that these robots will work as well as they appear. I hope that it's not just teams 25, 118, 86, 968, and 1523 who can toss in 10 balls in 10 seconds.

Going along with Andy's point.. he's even memorized the teams who have posted videos of their robot working on Chief Delphi. Now imagine all the teams who don't post here.

[Tim Delles]

Ed is right on this note. In all honesty only a small percentage of teams really post there designs/robots on here.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by Tim Delles

Ed is right on this note. In all honesty only a small percentage of teams really post there designs/robots on here.

In all honesty only a small percentage of team memebers really post here at all. And some teams don't even know anything about this resource.
Many of the teams that post here tend to be the upper echelon of FIRST. The smaller newer teams do not have the resources and manpower to build as dynamic robots as the "haves" and those are the bot that people need to see even more than the established teams.

[GaryVoshol]

I am continually amazed at how many different designs spring from a few tasks given in the games. No more than a half-dozen things to do, sometimes only 2 or 3 things - and we get hundreds of differing designs. It amazed me through 6 years now of FLL, and 2 years of FRC.

Some of the solutions seem so simple, you wonder why our team didn't think of it. Others are completely unique - clearly "out of the box" thinking.

And we've only seen a hundred or so here - the competitions will be a thrill. And I get one of the best seats in the house - well, best stand-ups in the house - as I'll be working queuing at GLR and Detroit.

[Bob Steele]

Hey Andy!! What's wrong with an (ice) box on wheels? lol
These are some of the finest robots I have ever seen also...
I am quite anxious to see them perform...

cya at the Boilermaker..

Bob

Originally Posted by Andy Baker

Yes, I totally agree. Great point, Matt.

I strongly feel that this is the #1 ingredient to growing the FIRST program.

If the general public (or the media) sees a "box on wheels" scoot 3 feet and team members cheering, they just don't get it. However, if people see a team working on a robot that can do amazing things, then things are different. The robot suddenly is an attracting force for people not involved with FIRST. Crowds gather. Team members swell with pride. Team supporters work harder to fundraise. FIRST fever gets contagious.

A well-working FIRST robot can be charismatic. People are attracted to it. Teams rally behind it. Little kids stare with wide eyes. Relatives say to their friends "look at what my niece helped invent". This is an awesome thing.

I really hope that these robots will work as well as they appear. I hope that it's not just teams 25, 118, 86, 968, and 1523 who can toss in 10 balls in 10 seconds. The GDC has given FIRST a good game. Now, it's the teams job to make it show well on the playing field. People will gravitate to FIRST if these robots can do what they appear to be able to do. Let's keep working hard to make it so.

Good luck,
Andy Baker