pic: Team 221 LLC. - Wild Swerve Module

Originally Posted by Teamcap.2395

So to those of you that think this isn't in the spirit of FIRST, because it decreases the learning experience.
I believe that, at least with my team, it provokes learning.
It gives you the best learning tool out there, a hands on tool.
A tool that for some teams, like mine, was thought to be out of reach at the moment.

Originally Posted by keehun

Dean probably won't care because like he doesn't care if mentors do everything from planning to building... He emphasizes the INSPIRATION model..

I don't believe it's against the point of FIRST, rather, I think it dulls the educational opportunities that FIRST provides. While the point of FRC is to inspire engineering and science based educations and careers, it also provides an incredible medium for education, and getting a head start on life.

Kits like these dull the value of that education immensely, and a level playing field does nothing to mimic the real world. There are always engineering companies with better tools, more funding, and better employees than you in the real world. Learning to improvise and compete with what you have, not with a standardized kit will train you more for the real world.

The goal of FIRST can be met with a set of legos, the robot is just a medium. But the education that comes with it, that is truly special.