After reviewing the dvds of this year’s competition we have a final result for the winners of the Cirque contest for FRC 2010.
The main body of the competition as you know was to judge the most creative ways in which the teams attacked this year’s challenges, and as I was on the Game Design this year, I was especially interested in how the teams approached the concepts.
We were looking particularly at a unique approach, and creative solutions, as well of course as entertainment value.
It was exceptional to see the number of teams that competed at a high level, and to be honest I wish we had more than 3 prizes to give out, because we saw some fantastic innovations. However, 3 it is, and here we go.
1st prize $5,000 Team 25 New Brunswick Twp High School, NJ.
This team competed at all levels and had one of the quickest hang mechanisms on the floor. Their agility was superb, and their ability to score from any zone in autonomous and teleop was fun to watch. They really caught us though with their Ball control mechanism. The use of the fan system to grab a ball and control it, allowing for balls to be scooped up from any direction was not only innovative, but deadly effective.
2nd prize $3,000 Team 39 Highland High School, Gilbert, AZ.
Again, a very competitive robot with an amazing kicking system that was effective everywhere on the field. We especially liked the ability of this robot to play offense, while competing defensively in the oppositions goal zone. On more than one occasion we watched this robot successfully defending the oppositions goal while scoring in its own from long range. We were also very drawn to the unique suspension system for tackling the speed bump challenge, which lessened its chances of tipping over, thus keeping it in the contest at all times.
3rd prize $2,000 Team 3009 Boulder City High School, Boulder City, NV
We really liked how this team had tried to compete at every aspect of the challenge, and even though they had different levels of success in those areas, they had clearly devoted a lot of time and energy. What we particularly liked with this machine was the agility through the use of independent wheels. Seeing this robot immediately change stance from offense to defense in the blink of an eye, was always exciting and entertaining. We are really looking forward to seeing what Boulder City does in the future. As a young team in FIRST we hope that this money will help them compete again next year where I am sure they will be a force to reckon with.
There are special mentions to other teams such as Team 4 and 2429, whose tape measure rigs we were always rooting for. 254 whose hang mechanism was so fast you were afraid to blink, and of course our dear friends at 987, who remained an incredibly strong presence and were missed in Georgia.
Please let me know if you need any more information,
All the best,
Calum
Thank You
