Inside Out: FIRST Robotics Competition

A robot walks into a cafe and tries to order a double espresso.
"Sorry," the waiter says, "We don't serve robots."

"That's okay," the robot answers. "One day you will."

While we may be headed toward a RoboFuture, the purpose of the robots at the FIRST Robotics Competition is to build the self-esteem and engineering skills of teenage humans. This All Things Connecticut segment from 2009 shows a typical, regional meet. High school students build task-oriented robots that compete against other robots in a complicated new game whose rules are announced each January. The prize is a spot at the national competition. 2009's game was called Lunacy and featured some consistent designs like the "Vomit Bot" and the "Dozer Bot." The program started in Manchester, New Hampshire 18 years ago and has grown into an international phenomenon.

2010 has been a trying year for Connecticut's robotics community. A newly formed team from the Hartford Academy of Math and Science, the Pirates of Pythagorean, lost a team member in a bus accident on the way to a competition on January 9th. The team went on to  win two All-Star Rookie Awards---allowing it to compete at the national competition being held this week in Atlanta. 

The accident has also spurred debate in the state legislature over whether seat-belts should be mandatory in school buses. 

This year's national competition is wired to the teeth, as one would imagine. Battles can be seen online through the NASA Robotics Alliance. And one can follow students as well as the Director of the Competition on Twitter. (He also has a blog.) As the Chairman tweeted, "Did you see me? I'm on my segway at the front entrance checking for armbands. Welcome to Championship!!" Either robotics is getting cooler or we're all getting nerdier.