About FIRST
FIRST Robotics (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded by inventor Dean Kamen, also known for designing the Segway Scooter, in 1989 with the purpose of giving high school students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience with sciences such as computer programming, electrical engineering, physics, pneumatics, and structural engineering. In addition, it lets students exercise knowledge they gain in their school classes for real world applications, gives them experience working one-on-one with professional engineers to solve scenarios, and teaches them good business and communication skills that are essential to keep the team afloat.
FIRST achieves all of this through a “game” scenario that they plan out each year. Using a kit of parts and off-the-shelf materials, teams have to design and build a robot that is capable of achieving the scenario’s goals. For example, in the 2008 competition, FIRST Overdrive, teams had to build robots that drove around an ovalshaped track while throwing a giant, forty inch diameter inflatable ball over a six-and-a-half foot high monkey-bar type structure. While this may sound simple, team members must understand the concepts of torque, traction, and stress, know how to calculate gear ratios, program microcontrollers, build electrical and pneumatic circuits, build lightweight structures out of industrial materials, and learn how to use tools in their correct applications.
