I don’t think I’ve seen any posts about this, but I was watching TV and spotted what looked a lot like a Logomotion (maybe Rack ‘n’ Roll) robot in a Kaiser Permanente ad:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pww3C9JGV0o&feature=c4-overview&list=UUqZdtT_o6xZbMkRbLZJ7Zvg
Best shot of it around 0:23.
Any idea which team? Pretty cool to see FRC featured (kinda) on national TV ads.
I’d like to say its Team 696 and their 2011 robot?
I might be wrong but David can confirm or deny!
-RC
I believe that it is one of the robots from rack n roll on the account that there was no minibot deployment system.
Cool. I knew the commercial would be out soon but I hadn’t seen it yet. It is our 2011 Logomotion robot. It was definitely fun to be a part of the production.
While it is cool to see a FIRST robot on TV, I’d like to not make a big deal of it. Can a mod close the thread for me?
Its 696 2011.
For sure.
Edit. Dave beat me.
Why close the thread?
Not sure why you want the thread closed-I would say FIRST appearing in a nationwide commercial is a pretty big deal (I’ve seen this commercial at least 10 times, just today), even if it’s only in passing.
I find it more than a little ironic the commercial implies that this guy built the robot himself given the large emphasis that FIRST places on student involvement. In my mind, having a kid drive it or a kid and a mentor would have been a lot cooler.
Folks, this commercial is not an advertisement for FIRST, and it’s not fair to the producers for it to become one. Enjoy your personal viewing of the commercial and let’s leave it at that. We are not looking for any publicity for FIRST or for our team from this one. We get our name out in plenty of other ways. Thanks.
Then why do the commercial?
Honestly, given how little media attention our programs get, we’re at a stage where almost any media exposure is good exposure.
Short of being involved with commercials/shows that promote abhorrent behaviour (drugs, crime, etc), I think we need to be aggressively getting our robots as much media time as possible.
We need to stop being so picky about whether or not the “FIRST ideals are being PERFECTLY represented” in every media opportunity we’re presented with. They won’t be.
We also need to stop being apologetic if we do take part in such a media opportunity. Be genuinely proud that your got your robot out there at all.
Consider for a second that “making FIRST loud” will also be an iterative process. We will inevitably have a lot of not-so-great media exposure where things won’t come out perfectly. The only way to improve that is to keep doing more until it gets better…
There’s nothing wrong with the commercial. Kaiser Permanente is probably one of the better HMOs in the US - not that I would know being a Canadian. It’s effective in portraying that they have products suited to people with varying interests - including us nerds and geeks who like to build robots in our spare time.
I don’t read anything more into it than that, and neither should you.
If you don’t like the commercial, go find another opportunity to do a better one.
P.S. It’s actually refreshing to see that media recognizes that “nerds” like us are people who should be listened to, and catered to (instead of being minimized, shunned and ridiculed). Someone in mainstream media actually made a list of the people they wanted to “identify with” and it included: dog-walking lady, retiree sitting on the patio, young urban professional, mini-van mom, shlumpy student, skilled tradesman (guitar) guy… and now obsessive compulsive FIRST mentor.
Notice how it didn’t include previously popular media choices such as random sports playing/working out in the gym/yoga/painter/musician/skateboarding person?
I did 
.
If a moderator came and closed this thread right now, I would be perfectly content, because you just summed up every thought I previously had, currently have, and will ever have on this matter.
Folks, the guy whose opinion matters most doesnt want a big deal made of it. Lets respect that, OK?
Its an advertisement that was broadcast nationally and can be seen online worldwide, everyone’s opinion matters.
Having not seen the commercial, I really don’t have an opinion. I think the concept is pretty cool though.
A first robot on a national TV commercial sort of puts it in the public domain. Which makes it a valid discussion topic. Respectfully done of course.
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109686&highlight=Robots+in+GE+Commercial
It doesn’t seem like many people payed attention to this commercial featuring FRC robots. So why this one?
I agree with Don, just give this thread a rest. (although that’s somewhat hypocritical of me to say because I’m replying to it too… but you get my point. Can we please respect sanddrag’s wishes?)
The community wants to discuss something that is of interest to them. Why are you people telling them they can’t? If Sanddrag doesn’t want to participate in the discussion no one is forcing him to. Heck, if he doesn’t want to acknowledge that it’s happening we won’t rub it in his face.