Good Afternoon Teams,
There are just two days left until FRC registration opens to teams. As you’re considering your event location choices, here are three things you should know.
1) FIRST is striving to ensure all FRC Regional Events have a minimum of 10 qualification rounds. Traditional FRC Regional Events may only have a half-day of practice rounds on Thursday before qualification rounds begin. Sacramento and Pittsburgh (which are piloting a new, more time compressed competition format) will allow teams in as early as possible to maximize practice time. Practice matches will be run during load-in at Sacramento and Pittsburgh (probably on the practice field) and qualifying matches will begin sometime Friday morning. The schedule for Michigan District Events will be similar to last year. Our goal is to increase the number of qualification matches for each team while reducing the amount of time students miss school and volunteers must take off from work.
2) Also new this year is an expanded “Bag and Tag” pilot program for robots. Last year Michigan teams placed their robots in “isolation bags” on robot ship day and delivered them to the event themselves. This year teams outside of Michigan attending Kansas City, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma City, Waterloo and Toronto FRC Regionals will be included in the pilot “Bag and Tag” program while Michigan teams continue the “Bag and Tag” program at all Michigan Events. Isolation bags will be provided to teams and directions for utilizing the system will be released soon. Teams going to any of the “Bag and Tag” events will be required to bring their robot with them as outlined in the directions. Shipping will not be available to “Bag and Tag” events. Teams may not “Bag and Tag” robots for any other event. Teams going from one of the “Bag and Tag” events to another Regional Event or to the FIRST Championship will take their robots home to crate them for FEDEx pickup and shipment to the next event.
3) Several Regional Events will be piloting a variety of cost effective measures this year. Oregon, Bayou, Florida, Pittsburgh, WPI, Utah, Connecticut, Colorado, Las Vegas, Sacramento, North Carolina, Michigan State Championship and possibly a few others, will all explore methods of providing the same high-energy, high-quality experience of a Traditional FRC Regional Event without the same expense. Our hope is to find ways to continue to hold costs down in the future by using locally procured and implemented resources.
102 days until the 2010 Kickoff
See you there!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Rookie vs. Veteran Kits with more to come
Good Morning Teams,
FRC is very aware of team funding concerns, especially in light of the recent economic slowdown. Woodie and I had a long conversation recently about the cost of the FRC program and the challenges teams face when raising money. We are aware veteran teams sometimes accumulate a surplus of items from the kit of parts. There will always be a debate about veteran teams having the ability to maintain a second robot and driver station. We can appreciate the importance of having an additional “demo/show” robot and realize there will always be a debate about a second “practice” robot giving some teams a competitive advantage.
We are constantly looking for ways to control costs and still provide an extremely high level learning experience for all FRC teams. I believe as FRC continues to grow, we will need to do things a little differently to enable that expansion. Asking Veteran teams to reuse items in the Kit of Parts is a step in that direction. We may not always get it right, but in the spirit of innovation and continuous improvement we will continue to test concepts intended to enable us to sustain significant growth without losing quality.
You can find information on the 2010 Veteran and Rookie Kits of Parts on our website. We have included information on where to obtain additional quantities of these items on your own. For more information on typical robot parts please refer to the 2009 Kit of Parts Checklist until the 2010 Kit of Parts Checklist is revealed at Kickoff. The 2010 Kit of Parts will contain a new driver station for all FRC teams. We believe Teams will be interested in the capability of the Classmate PC laptop Drivers Station.
Keep an eye on this Blog. I hope to be back later today with a list of Regional events where teams will bring their own robot this year. I’m waiting on last minute details from some of the facilities (who have to agree) the drayage company (this affects them too) and reports from onsite visitors. I know the clock is ticking.
102 days until the 2010 Kickoff
See you there!
FRC is very aware of team funding concerns, especially in light of the recent economic slowdown. Woodie and I had a long conversation recently about the cost of the FRC program and the challenges teams face when raising money. We are aware veteran teams sometimes accumulate a surplus of items from the kit of parts. There will always be a debate about veteran teams having the ability to maintain a second robot and driver station. We can appreciate the importance of having an additional “demo/show” robot and realize there will always be a debate about a second “practice” robot giving some teams a competitive advantage.
We are constantly looking for ways to control costs and still provide an extremely high level learning experience for all FRC teams. I believe as FRC continues to grow, we will need to do things a little differently to enable that expansion. Asking Veteran teams to reuse items in the Kit of Parts is a step in that direction. We may not always get it right, but in the spirit of innovation and continuous improvement we will continue to test concepts intended to enable us to sustain significant growth without losing quality.
You can find information on the 2010 Veteran and Rookie Kits of Parts on our website. We have included information on where to obtain additional quantities of these items on your own. For more information on typical robot parts please refer to the 2009 Kit of Parts Checklist until the 2010 Kit of Parts Checklist is revealed at Kickoff. The 2010 Kit of Parts will contain a new driver station for all FRC teams. We believe Teams will be interested in the capability of the Classmate PC laptop Drivers Station.
Keep an eye on this Blog. I hope to be back later today with a list of Regional events where teams will bring their own robot this year. I’m waiting on last minute details from some of the facilities (who have to agree) the drayage company (this affects them too) and reports from onsite visitors. I know the clock is ticking.
102 days until the 2010 Kickoff
See you there!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tune in Tomorrow
Good Afternoon Teams,
We still don’t have a complete FRC Event list, but I will post what we have on our website tomorrow, September 24th by noon EST. Look here. I will update the items marked TBD as details are finalized.
This year we are definitely considering permitting teams attending specific events to bag their robots and transport them to events themselves (similar to the Michigan District Pilot last year). Stay tuned.
Do you want to know what the Beta teams are up to? Look here for Chapter 0 of the control system document.
And I promised you an update on the GDC meeting last weekend. In addition to discussing scoring for the 2010 game, we previewed robot capabilities, discussed traction mechanisms, made decisions about the game manual, picked the game name and reviewed the current FRC awards. Throw in gallons of Haagen-Dazs, a mountain of tacos and several interesting dry runs of the new game and it was a full weekend.
108 days until the 2010 Kickoff
See you there!
We still don’t have a complete FRC Event list, but I will post what we have on our website tomorrow, September 24th by noon EST. Look here. I will update the items marked TBD as details are finalized.
This year we are definitely considering permitting teams attending specific events to bag their robots and transport them to events themselves (similar to the Michigan District Pilot last year). Stay tuned.
Do you want to know what the Beta teams are up to? Look here for Chapter 0 of the control system document.
And I promised you an update on the GDC meeting last weekend. In addition to discussing scoring for the 2010 game, we previewed robot capabilities, discussed traction mechanisms, made decisions about the game manual, picked the game name and reviewed the current FRC awards. Throw in gallons of Haagen-Dazs, a mountain of tacos and several interesting dry runs of the new game and it was a full weekend.
108 days until the 2010 Kickoff
See you there!
Friday, September 18, 2009
What about returning veteran teams
Good Morning Teams,
As you all know by now, FRC registration will be $5000 for Veteran teams and $6500 for Rookie teams (offset by Dean Kamen’s 2010 Founder’s Grant for new teams resulting in a final cost to Rookie teams of $5500) But what if you’re a Veteran team who didn’t participate in 2009? Don’t worry, we have a plan for that. Returning veteran teams (teams that participated in the past, but didn’t play in 2009 for whatever reason) will be considered Rookie teams just for the purposes of registration (you are still Veteran teams in every other way) and Dean has agreed to make 2010 Founder’s Grants available for you too so you won’t have to pay the full $6500.
FRC Team event registration will open October 1st.
And the GDC will be meeting this weekend. I’ll tell you how it went in next week’s blog.
113 days until the 2010 Kickoff
See you there!
As you all know by now, FRC registration will be $5000 for Veteran teams and $6500 for Rookie teams (offset by Dean Kamen’s 2010 Founder’s Grant for new teams resulting in a final cost to Rookie teams of $5500) But what if you’re a Veteran team who didn’t participate in 2009? Don’t worry, we have a plan for that. Returning veteran teams (teams that participated in the past, but didn’t play in 2009 for whatever reason) will be considered Rookie teams just for the purposes of registration (you are still Veteran teams in every other way) and Dean has agreed to make 2010 Founder’s Grants available for you too so you won’t have to pay the full $6500.
FRC Team event registration will open October 1st.
And the GDC will be meeting this weekend. I’ll tell you how it went in next week’s blog.
113 days until the 2010 Kickoff
See you there!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Beta Hardware and more
Good Afternoon Teams,
We’ll be shipping software to Beta teams this Friday and we now have enough of the new elements of the control system in house to be able to ship hardware to the Beta teams listed below. Thank you to all the Beta teams for your help in preparing the control system for 2010.
67 HOT
115 Monta Vista Robotics Team
179 The Children of the Swamp
188 Woburn Robotics
330 BeachBot
339 Kilroy
488 Team Xbot
624 CRyptonite
1073 The Force Team
1089 Team Mercury
1511 Rolling Thunder
1577 SteamPunk
1714 MORE Robotics
1730 Team Driven
1746 Forsyth Alliance
1816 The Green Machine
1852 Amore
1912 Team Combustion
Over the summer we updated How to start an FRC team and the FRC team handbook. Please share these files with people interested in starting new teams in your area, and if you see something that should be added or updated in either document drop us a line at frcteams@usfirst.org
The PBS documentary on FIRST that I mentioned August 19th is being aired around the country. Check here to find out when it’s playing in your area.
And, if one or more of your mentors work for Boeing, don’t forget to apply for the Boeing grant. (Boeing employees must apply directly to Boeing for consideration.)
116 days until the 2010 Kickoff
See you there!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Welcome back
Good Morning Teams,
Welcome back from the holiday weekend. I spent my time at the lake mulling over the options for 2010 and am feeling energized. It’s too early to share the final details, but there will be change, so keep your options open as you plan for the season.
Robot shipping will probably work differently this year due to increased shipping costs. We’re even discussing expanding the use of robot isolation bags (as seen in Michigan last year) to a limited number of locations.
You can also expect changes to some of the event schedules. We might go with fewer days and longer hours, or we might start qualification rounds earlier in the event, but we are definitely looking for ways to maximize the number of plays teams get at events this year.
I ran across this article yesterday and like what Scott Kirsner has to say. He even mentions Dean, Woodie and FIRST. Check it out.
122 days until the 2010 Kickoff
See you there!
Welcome back from the holiday weekend. I spent my time at the lake mulling over the options for 2010 and am feeling energized. It’s too early to share the final details, but there will be change, so keep your options open as you plan for the season.
Robot shipping will probably work differently this year due to increased shipping costs. We’re even discussing expanding the use of robot isolation bags (as seen in Michigan last year) to a limited number of locations.
You can also expect changes to some of the event schedules. We might go with fewer days and longer hours, or we might start qualification rounds earlier in the event, but we are definitely looking for ways to maximize the number of plays teams get at events this year.
I ran across this article yesterday and like what Scott Kirsner has to say. He even mentions Dean, Woodie and FIRST. Check it out.
122 days until the 2010 Kickoff
See you there!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Announcing the Beta Testers
Good Morning Teams,
Thank you to everyone who applied to be a Beta Test Team. There were a lot of strong candidates; unfortunately, we weren’t able to accommodate all of you. Emails were sent this morning to everyone who applied, now I can share the list with you.
Testing C/C++
151 Tough Techs
179 The Children of the Swamp
188 Woburn Robotics
1158 Eagle Corps
1334 Red Devils
1511 Rolling Thunder
1714 MORE Robotics
1730 Team Driven
1816 The Green Machine
1946 AFR
Testing Java
20 The Rocketeers
67 HOT Team
294 Beach Cities Robotics
339 Kilroy
341 Miss Daisy
399 Eagle Robotics
624 CRyptonite
811 The Cardinals
957 SWARM
1073 The Force Team
1089 Team Mercury
1123 Autodidactic Intelligent Minors (AIM)
1160 FireBird Robotics
1279 ColdFusion
1421 Team Chaos
1557 12 Volt Bolt
1777 Viking Robotics
1852 Amore
2974 Team WALT
3006 West High FIRST Robotics
Testing LabVIEW
45 TechnoKats Robotics Team
103 Cybersonics
115 Monta Vista Robotics Team
122 Nasa Knights
330 BeachBot
441 Devil Dogs
488 Team Xbot
812 The Midnight Mechanics
1577 SteamPunk
1629 GaCo
1718 The Fighting Pi
1746 Forsyth Alliance
1912 Team Combustion
The Beta teams will receive directions and copies of the new software once they sign the 2010 Disclosure agreements. Some of these Beta teams will be tapped to test hardware as soon as the elements become available. You can follow the Beta Teams’ progress and ask questions here.
127 days until the 2010 Kickoff
See you there!
Thank you to everyone who applied to be a Beta Test Team. There were a lot of strong candidates; unfortunately, we weren’t able to accommodate all of you. Emails were sent this morning to everyone who applied, now I can share the list with you.
Testing C/C++
151 Tough Techs
179 The Children of the Swamp
188 Woburn Robotics
1158 Eagle Corps
1334 Red Devils
1511 Rolling Thunder
1714 MORE Robotics
1730 Team Driven
1816 The Green Machine
1946 AFR
Testing Java
20 The Rocketeers
67 HOT Team
294 Beach Cities Robotics
339 Kilroy
341 Miss Daisy
399 Eagle Robotics
624 CRyptonite
811 The Cardinals
957 SWARM
1073 The Force Team
1089 Team Mercury
1123 Autodidactic Intelligent Minors (AIM)
1160 FireBird Robotics
1279 ColdFusion
1421 Team Chaos
1557 12 Volt Bolt
1777 Viking Robotics
1852 Amore
2974 Team WALT
3006 West High FIRST Robotics
Testing LabVIEW
45 TechnoKats Robotics Team
103 Cybersonics
115 Monta Vista Robotics Team
122 Nasa Knights
330 BeachBot
441 Devil Dogs
488 Team Xbot
812 The Midnight Mechanics
1577 SteamPunk
1629 GaCo
1718 The Fighting Pi
1746 Forsyth Alliance
1912 Team Combustion
The Beta teams will receive directions and copies of the new software once they sign the 2010 Disclosure agreements. Some of these Beta teams will be tapped to test hardware as soon as the elements become available. You can follow the Beta Teams’ progress and ask questions here.
127 days until the 2010 Kickoff
See you there!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
So, what about the classmate?
Good Afternoon Teams,
If you were wondering what to do with the 2010 Classmate, worry no more. The Classmate will be the primary feature of the 2010 Driver Station (connected to some other items to be revealed later). I can also tell you Veteran teams should plan to reuse their 2009 cRIO and modules, camera and adaptor, air compressor, battery charger, servo, and joysicks. We haven’t finalized the entire list as we’re still in discussions with some of our suppliers. Watch for an email blast with more details coming soon.
New this year FRC team members will be able to complete their Consent and Release forms electronically which should save a lot of paper. Your team’s main contact will receive more details on how to set this up in TIMS.
The first rookie number in 2010 will be 3130. We’ve learned over the years to hold a few team numbers back each season for situations like the ones described here.
And in case you were wondering, even though this blog isn’t located on usfirst.org, it’s official.
129 days until the 2010 Kickoff
See you there!
If you were wondering what to do with the 2010 Classmate, worry no more. The Classmate will be the primary feature of the 2010 Driver Station (connected to some other items to be revealed later). I can also tell you Veteran teams should plan to reuse their 2009 cRIO and modules, camera and adaptor, air compressor, battery charger, servo, and joysicks. We haven’t finalized the entire list as we’re still in discussions with some of our suppliers. Watch for an email blast with more details coming soon.
New this year FRC team members will be able to complete their Consent and Release forms electronically which should save a lot of paper. Your team’s main contact will receive more details on how to set this up in TIMS.
The first rookie number in 2010 will be 3130. We’ve learned over the years to hold a few team numbers back each season for situations like the ones described here.
And in case you were wondering, even though this blog isn’t located on usfirst.org, it’s official.
129 days until the 2010 Kickoff
See you there!
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