Good Morning Teams,
The final episode of FRC Live! was yesterday morning and I’ve been too busy ever since to get to a computer. Here are the highlights of what was covered as the crowd and I discussed the future of FRC.
At the current rate of growth for FRC, we are going to face a space crunch at Championship (CMP) in a few years. Consider this. At each regional, six teams earn a space at Championship (the winning alliance, the Engineering Inspiration winner, the Chairman’s Award winner and the Rookie All Star team). This year we had 48 regionals. Add eighteen teams from the Michigan State Championship (When the District pilot began, the State Championship replaced three Regional events.) and you get a total of 306 teams. 352 teams competed this weekend. Not every team who qualifies to come to CMP can make it, so there are always a few empty slots, but as we continue to add new regionals each year, we are eventually going to run out of room. In the short run, there will be fewer and fewer spaces for non-qualifying teams at CMP. In the long run, we’re going to have to figure out a new system for determining which teams come to CMP.
This year, more Regional events went to the Bag & Tag (B&T) system. Next year, you can expect even more events will adopt the program. We know that there is room for improvement. We’re working to develop a system for teams who have no choice but to travel long distances to get to an event, and we’re working with locations where local teams have expressed an interest in participating, but the event facility is reluctant. Feedback from teams has resulted in two interesting observations. All teams were asked at the end of the year last year how they felt about B&T. I don’t have the stats at hand today, but somewhere around 90% of teams who had participated in a B&T event liked B&T and about 90% of teams who had not participated in B&T didn’t like B&T. So I’m asking you, give it a try, you might like it.
Did you notice the tubes in your 2011 kit were a different shade of blue than the blue tubes on the fields? There was a miscommunication with the factory in China and by the time we received the first samples, a lot of dark blue squares had already come off the production line. The most cost effective (and ecologically friendly) solution was to put the already produced miss-colored tubes in the kits and run just enough correctly colored tubes for competition. The blue tubes had to be air shipped to Manchester in order to arrive just in time to get them on the trucks headed to week one events.
If we had had more time between the moment the GDC finalized the game pieces and the day kits had to ship to make it to kickoffs, a lot of cost and confusion could have been avoided. This year, the GDC is taking heroic steps to try to complete development of the 2012 game by August. If we are successful, we will then immediately start work on the 2013 game. Hopefully, FRC will then be able to maintain a game development schedule where the game is finalized a year in advance allowing us more time to build fields, obtain game elements and test systems.
With the additional workload, the GDC has decided to add an additional rotating member position. We intend to invite one member of the FRC community to join the committee for a one year term. In February I invited members of the Hall of Fame and the Woodie Flowers Award winners to apply. Final selection will probably happen this weekend. I hope to be able to announce our selection soon.
I’ll let you know when the third episode is posted to the FRCTeamsGlobal YOUtube channel.
See you
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Thanks for coming
Good Afternoon Teams,
The first episode of FRC Live (in four parts) is now live on the FRCTeamsglobal youtube channel.
The second episode of FRC Live went well. I had a few items to share about ‘Behind the Scenes at FRC’ then I read comments from the “notes for Bill” box and answered questions from the crowd. I’ll let you know as soon as the second episode is posted, but in the meantime, here are a few highlights.
This year, in an effort to make week one events run like week five events we:
At one point during the development of LOGO MOTION we considered an entirely different end game. Instead of giving the first mini-bot up the pole 30 points, then giving 20 points to the second bot and so on, we discussed the idea of awarding precision instead. The mini-bot who touched the top at the last possible moment before the buzzer sounded would receive the highest score, the second to last bot to score before the end would receive the next highest score and so on backwards to the lowest score. We pictured tense moments at the end of each match while minibots clung to the poles playing chicken, each daring the other to go first.
You know now that we didn’t go with that design, but at one point, we considered sharing both endings at kickoff and asking teams to vote for their favorite. We didn’t go with this idea in the end, but that may not be the end of that idea. We may still invite teams to help us pick elements of a game sometime in the future.
One participant asked about the Michigan District system. This is the last year of the three year pilot and we are currently in negotiations regarding the future of the program. The district system helps reduce some costs, it provides greater opportunities for participating teams, and it represents an effective method for expansion of FRC. We’re concerned about the potential for volunteer burn out and resource consumption, so there’s still a lot to discuss. If we can work out the kinks, we are giving serious consideration to expanding District events into Texas , possibly New Jersey and potentially other locations in the near future. I’ll let you know the minute we have firm plans.
And as for whomever asked about the lasers, nothing is impossible. Give me some time to discuss it with the GDC.
The third episode of FRC Live will be held tomorrow at 10:30am.
I’ll see you there.
The first episode of FRC Live (in four parts) is now live on the FRCTeamsglobal youtube channel.
The second episode of FRC Live went well. I had a few items to share about ‘Behind the Scenes at FRC’ then I read comments from the “notes for Bill” box and answered questions from the crowd. I’ll let you know as soon as the second episode is posted, but in the meantime, here are a few highlights.
This year, in an effort to make week one events run like week five events we:
- Provided more training to volunteers in key positions and worked to ensure more event uniformity
- Held two week zero events where we set up fields and ran mini events to test the field, field management system and volunteer positions
- Limited week one to 4 events so that we could double up FTAs and field support
At one point during the development of LOGO MOTION we considered an entirely different end game. Instead of giving the first mini-bot up the pole 30 points, then giving 20 points to the second bot and so on, we discussed the idea of awarding precision instead. The mini-bot who touched the top at the last possible moment before the buzzer sounded would receive the highest score, the second to last bot to score before the end would receive the next highest score and so on backwards to the lowest score. We pictured tense moments at the end of each match while minibots clung to the poles playing chicken, each daring the other to go first.
You know now that we didn’t go with that design, but at one point, we considered sharing both endings at kickoff and asking teams to vote for their favorite. We didn’t go with this idea in the end, but that may not be the end of that idea. We may still invite teams to help us pick elements of a game sometime in the future.
One participant asked about the Michigan District system. This is the last year of the three year pilot and we are currently in negotiations regarding the future of the program. The district system helps reduce some costs, it provides greater opportunities for participating teams, and it represents an effective method for expansion of FRC. We’re concerned about the potential for volunteer burn out and resource consumption, so there’s still a lot to discuss. If we can work out the kinks, we are giving serious consideration to expanding District events into Texas , possibly New Jersey and potentially other locations in the near future. I’ll let you know the minute we have firm plans.
And as for whomever asked about the lasers, nothing is impossible. Give me some time to discuss it with the GDC.
The third episode of FRC Live will be held tomorrow at 10:30am.
I’ll see you there.
Were you in the crowd?
Good Afternoon Teams,
I’ve just finished the first episode of FRC Live on the stage next to Pit Administration. We couldn’t arrange a live feed this year, but a recording was made and I’ll let you know as soon as we can get it posted on the web.
National Instruments joined me on stage to announce the new cRIO FRC2 which will be included in the 2012 rookie kit of parts and which will be available for purchase sometime in the fall. The cRIO FRC2 chassis will be less than $300. The new upgrade kit which includes 3 modules and the cRIO FRC2 chassis will be less than $550. All existing cRIO modules are compatible with the new cRIO FRC2. You can visit National Instrument’s booth for more details today or watch National Instruments and the usfirst.org website for more details coming soon.
Kate and Collin joined me on stage to thank Andy Mark for their role in creating and maintaining the FIRSTChoice system which successfully allowed for better personalization of the 2011 FRC Kit of Parts. They shared FRC’s plans to expand FIRSTChoice options for teams in the coming season.
I answered a few questions from the crowd and from the “notes for Bill” box.
One person asked about the thought process behind having two FRC fields in the pits. As the FIRST family of programs grows, we need to ensure all programs are represented at Championship. In order to ensure FTC and FLL fields have a place of equal prominence in the Dome, the decision was made to reduce the number of FRC fields. Rather than move one division into the pits, we went with having two fields in the pits and developed the plan to ensure all teams had time in the dome. The Friday night stage performance was not the primary reason for the new dome layout.
I’ll return to the stage at 3:30 to discuss what happens behind the scenes at FRC. If you can, please join me.
See you then.
I’ve just finished the first episode of FRC Live on the stage next to Pit Administration. We couldn’t arrange a live feed this year, but a recording was made and I’ll let you know as soon as we can get it posted on the web.
National Instruments joined me on stage to announce the new cRIO FRC2 which will be included in the 2012 rookie kit of parts and which will be available for purchase sometime in the fall. The cRIO FRC2 chassis will be less than $300. The new upgrade kit which includes 3 modules and the cRIO FRC2 chassis will be less than $550. All existing cRIO modules are compatible with the new cRIO FRC2. You can visit National Instrument’s booth for more details today or watch National Instruments and the usfirst.org website for more details coming soon.
Kate and Collin joined me on stage to thank Andy Mark for their role in creating and maintaining the FIRSTChoice system which successfully allowed for better personalization of the 2011 FRC Kit of Parts. They shared FRC’s plans to expand FIRSTChoice options for teams in the coming season.
I answered a few questions from the crowd and from the “notes for Bill” box.
One person asked about the thought process behind having two FRC fields in the pits. As the FIRST family of programs grows, we need to ensure all programs are represented at Championship. In order to ensure FTC and FLL fields have a place of equal prominence in the Dome, the decision was made to reduce the number of FRC fields. Rather than move one division into the pits, we went with having two fields in the pits and developed the plan to ensure all teams had time in the dome. The Friday night stage performance was not the primary reason for the new dome layout.
I’ll return to the stage at 3:30 to discuss what happens behind the scenes at FRC. If you can, please join me.
See you then.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
I couldn’t do this alone
Good Afternoon Teams,
The America’s Center and Edward Jones Dome are a hive of activity and as I move from fields to pits to the show office to backstage, I’m reminded again and again of all the effort the FRC staff has put in this season. They’re too busy right now to read this blog, but I still want to thank my dedicated and tireless staff. If you see them this weekend, please let them know they are appreciated.
The America’s Center and Edward Jones Dome are a hive of activity and as I move from fields to pits to the show office to backstage, I’m reminded again and again of all the effort the FRC staff has put in this season. They’re too busy right now to read this blog, but I still want to thank my dedicated and tireless staff. If you see them this weekend, please let them know they are appreciated.
- Carla Proulx – who is coordinating the Dean’s list and whom I rely on for last minute event solutions
- Charlie Jacobs – engineering guru and master of logistics
- Chris Jennings –dark ops and the coordinator of CMP practice fields
- Collin Fultz – the newest member of the KOP team
- Derek Foster –leader of the army of FTAs and coordinator of CMP fields
- Frank Merrick – who is keeping robot inspections running smoothly, ensuring we have control system advisors on hand and generally backing me up
- Harry Robinson – an engineering jack of all trades who works on everything
- James Rahaim – who is back in Manchester keeping the home fires burning
- Kate Pilotte – who brings you the supplier showcase and will be joining me for FRC live tomorrow
- Keith Bruning –who spent the past two days getting trucks unloaded and who will get us home again
- Krista Pratt – who shouldered the burden of keeping FRC informed while FIRST planned Championship and tracked robot delivery
- Matt Pilotte – without whom the field management system, scorekeeping, and electronic magic would not happen
- Monica Cyr – who guaranteed the trucks full of supplies made it where they need to be on time
- Nancy Skerry – FRC media mogul, Hall of Fame coordinator and general problem solver
- Rob Mitchell-Hartson – carpenter/welder/prototyping master who can build anything the GDC needs on a moment's notice
- Ryan Foley – the newest half of our FMS team
- Wendy Trommer – the driving force behind the Judges and awards at championship
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
I'm tired already
Good Evening Teams,
Before I call it a night, I thought I’d tell you:
I’ll see you tomorrow
Before I call it a night, I thought I’d tell you:
- As staff arrived today, they told me that St Louis has greeters in the airport and most downtown hotels who are happy to advise teams as they explore the city. I also understand that St Louis has put up signs in the airports, at least one billboard on the highway and lamppost signs in the downtown. St Louis has really gone all out to make FIRST feel welcome.
- The pits are set up and the pit administration crew tell me their preparations are on track. They want you to know they’re looking forward to seeing you tomorrow evening.
- At last report all but two FRC robots are in the conference center. The last two are scheduled to arrive tomorrow.
- The practice fields are complete.
- The four competition fields are either complete or in final test mode.
- Einstein is 80% set up.
I’ll see you tomorrow
Monday, April 25, 2011
2 days and counting
Good Afternoon Teams,
I flew into St Louis and didn't run into any issues at the airport. I’m in the dome right now where the crew has marked out the fields and have started to hang lights and speakers.
If we can keep to the schedule, all 8 FRC fields should be unloaded and ready to set up tomorrow. The America’s center is already filling up with pits and Robots are beginning to arrive.
I’ll be blogging, facebooking and tweeting throughout Championship. (When I can find the time.) You can find my blog here http://frcdirector.blogspot.com/ , I’m on facebook as Bill Miller FRC Team and I tweet as FRCTeams. I’ll try to remember to use #FRCCMP when I tweet.
NASA will be live streaming the field action here http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/robotics/
and HEC-TV in St Louis will be airing FIRST Championship ‘LIVE FROM ST LOUIS” Friday 9:00am-11:30 & 2:00-3:30 and Saturday 3:30pm-6:00pm http://live.hectv.org
Just hours left until Championship
See you then!
I flew into St Louis and didn't run into any issues at the airport. I’m in the dome right now where the crew has marked out the fields and have started to hang lights and speakers.
If we can keep to the schedule, all 8 FRC fields should be unloaded and ready to set up tomorrow. The America’s center is already filling up with pits and Robots are beginning to arrive.
I’ll be blogging, facebooking and tweeting throughout Championship. (When I can find the time.) You can find my blog here http://frcdirector.blogspot.com/ , I’m on facebook as Bill Miller FRC Team and I tweet as FRCTeams. I’ll try to remember to use #FRCCMP when I tweet.
NASA will be live streaming the field action here http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/robotics/
and HEC-TV in St Louis will be airing FIRST Championship ‘LIVE FROM ST LOUIS” Friday 9:00am-11:30 & 2:00-3:30 and Saturday 3:30pm-6:00pm http://live.hectv.org
Just hours left until Championship
See you then!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
More news
Good Afternoon Teams,
Staff and volunteers in St Louis tell me the Edward Jones Dome, the America's Center, the warehouse where the robots are stored and the 10 trucks with fields & supplies are all unharmed.
4 days to Championship
See you then
Staff and volunteers in St Louis tell me the Edward Jones Dome, the America's Center, the warehouse where the robots are stored and the 10 trucks with fields & supplies are all unharmed.
4 days to Championship
See you then
Have you heard the news
Good Morning Teams,
We're monitoring the situation in St. Louis and will keep you informed if we find it necessary to make any alterations to the Championship plans. Our hearts go out to the residents of St Louis. We are currently checking in with staff and contractors and are not aware of any injuries to the FIRST personnel already in the area.
4 days to Championship,
See you then!
We're monitoring the situation in St. Louis and will keep you informed if we find it necessary to make any alterations to the Championship plans. Our hearts go out to the residents of St Louis. We are currently checking in with staff and contractors and are not aware of any injuries to the FIRST personnel already in the area.
4 days to Championship,
See you then!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
6 days and counting
Good Afternoon Teams,
If you’re keeping up with the website, you may have noticed the updates to the A-Z Team Guide (conveniently indicated in red) about the two FIRST Sponsored Team Events Friday and Saturday nights
and the new live link on the Championship page with information on the Saturday night FIRST CAFÉ: Food and Friends. If you’re interested in participating in the FIRSTies Talent Show, the deadline to apply is Monday, April 25th.
The official announcement from FIRST regarding dome layout is still on its way.
6 Days until Championship
(Yes, I know the usfirst website shows 5 days at this point, but I’m counting down to the moment FRC teams can access the pits)
See you then!
If you’re keeping up with the website, you may have noticed the updates to the A-Z Team Guide (conveniently indicated in red) about the two FIRST Sponsored Team Events Friday and Saturday nights
and the new live link on the Championship page with information on the Saturday night FIRST CAFÉ: Food and Friends. If you’re interested in participating in the FIRSTies Talent Show, the deadline to apply is Monday, April 25th.
The official announcement from FIRST regarding dome layout is still on its way.
6 Days until Championship
(Yes, I know the usfirst website shows 5 days at this point, but I’m counting down to the moment FRC teams can access the pits)
See you then!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Are you packed yet?
Good Afternoon Teams,
We’re expecting 352 FRC teams at Championship this year. That’s 88 teams per division and a lot of people and equipment we need to get into the America’s Center on Wednesday evening.
You should know:
Monday - Wednesday, there will be Greeters in the baggage claim area of both terminals at the Lambert-St Louis International Airport, in the Metro station at the airport and in the lobby of most major downtown hotels. Greeters will be wearing blue vests with the FIRST logo and will be carrying welcome signs. These greeters are local volunteers who can help you get oriented to St Louis and who will be able to answer basic questions about getting around town.
FRC teams may load in from two sides of the convention center Wednesday night. There will be five street level loading stations on 9th street and one street level loading station at the 7th Street & Convention Plaza intersection. (See diagram.) FRC traffic should proceed clockwise around the America’s center to facilitate unloading. The city has agreed to close one lane of 9th street to allow FRC teams to park briefly. There will be police and event staff on hand to direct teams.
The driver of the load in vehicle may not leave the vehicle. Unload the 5 members of your team who will be entering the pits, unload the gear as quickly as you can and move so the next team may pull in. Large vehicle parking is available on 5th and Cole Street directly behind the dome for $35 for a 24 hour period. Be sure to mention you are a FRC team as the usual rate is $75.
There is no set limit to the amount of materials teams may load in, but load in MUST be done in a safe and manageable way. Remember to review the withholding allowance rules as defined in the FRC Game Manual section 1 – Introduction and discussed in the FRC Game Manual section 4 – The Robot.
Teams sign for their 5 load in wristbands at the load in station. Wristbands must be worn for access to the pit area. If a member of your load in team needs to leave the pit for any reason, they may return as long as they are still wearing their wristband.
Wednesday night teams may:
Thursday
Teams report to their division field at 8:15 for the Driver’s Meeting. For consistency, Aidan Browne, Chief Referee will be broadcasting his portion of the Driver’s Meeting to all fields simultaneously. If your team has any questions they would like answered during the Driver’s Meeting, you must tweet your questions to @FRCrefs by Monday, April 25th.
Friday
Teams report to their division field (in its new location) for a Driver’s meeting regarding queuing in the new location.
In other news:
FRC is shipping a total of 10 trucks to St Louis; eight fields from regional events plus the two truckloads of supplies that left Bedford yesterday afternoon.
The drayage company is estimating it will take 25-30 trucks to load all of the robot crates into the convention center.
Show Ready Events estimates we will unload 60 trucks total when you include the robots, fields, sound and lighting equipment, carpets, event necessities and other items.
If you’re wondering what to do in the off season:
Check out these off season events and consider borrowing a FIRST field to hold your own off season event.
IPO Education Foundation is holding a video contest to encourage teens and the public at large to consider the value of the US patent system. Deadline July 1, 2011 www.ipvideocontest.com
7 Days until Championship
(Yes, I know the usfirst website shows 6 days at this point, but I’m counting down to the moment FRC teams can access the pits)
See you then!
We’re expecting 352 FRC teams at Championship this year. That’s 88 teams per division and a lot of people and equipment we need to get into the America’s Center on Wednesday evening.
You should know:
Monday - Wednesday, there will be Greeters in the baggage claim area of both terminals at the Lambert-St Louis International Airport, in the Metro station at the airport and in the lobby of most major downtown hotels. Greeters will be wearing blue vests with the FIRST logo and will be carrying welcome signs. These greeters are local volunteers who can help you get oriented to St Louis and who will be able to answer basic questions about getting around town.
FRC teams may load in from two sides of the convention center Wednesday night. There will be five street level loading stations on 9th street and one street level loading station at the 7th Street & Convention Plaza intersection. (See diagram.) FRC traffic should proceed clockwise around the America’s center to facilitate unloading. The city has agreed to close one lane of 9th street to allow FRC teams to park briefly. There will be police and event staff on hand to direct teams.
The driver of the load in vehicle may not leave the vehicle. Unload the 5 members of your team who will be entering the pits, unload the gear as quickly as you can and move so the next team may pull in. Large vehicle parking is available on 5th and Cole Street directly behind the dome for $35 for a 24 hour period. Be sure to mention you are a FRC team as the usual rate is $75.
There is no set limit to the amount of materials teams may load in, but load in MUST be done in a safe and manageable way. Remember to review the withholding allowance rules as defined in the FRC Game Manual section 1 – Introduction and discussed in the FRC Game Manual section 4 – The Robot.
Teams sign for their 5 load in wristbands at the load in station. Wristbands must be worn for access to the pit area. If a member of your load in team needs to leave the pit for any reason, they may return as long as they are still wearing their wristband.
Wednesday night teams may:
- Uncrate/unbag their robot – be sure to have an inspector sign off on your bag & tag form before opening your robot bag.
- Charge batteries
- Set up their pit
- Work on their robot – the NASA machine shops will be open
- Get their robot inspected
- Get their encryption key
Thursday
Teams report to their division field at 8:15 for the Driver’s Meeting. For consistency, Aidan Browne, Chief Referee will be broadcasting his portion of the Driver’s Meeting to all fields simultaneously. If your team has any questions they would like answered during the Driver’s Meeting, you must tweet your questions to @FRCrefs by Monday, April 25th.
Friday
Teams report to their division field (in its new location) for a Driver’s meeting regarding queuing in the new location.
In other news:
FRC is shipping a total of 10 trucks to St Louis; eight fields from regional events plus the two truckloads of supplies that left Bedford yesterday afternoon.
The drayage company is estimating it will take 25-30 trucks to load all of the robot crates into the convention center.
Show Ready Events estimates we will unload 60 trucks total when you include the robots, fields, sound and lighting equipment, carpets, event necessities and other items.
If you’re wondering what to do in the off season:
Check out these off season events and consider borrowing a FIRST field to hold your own off season event.
IPO Education Foundation is holding a video contest to encourage teens and the public at large to consider the value of the US patent system. Deadline July 1, 2011 www.ipvideocontest.com
7 Days until Championship
(Yes, I know the usfirst website shows 6 days at this point, but I’m counting down to the moment FRC teams can access the pits)
See you then!
Monday, April 18, 2011
What do you mean this is the last full week before CMP?
Good Afternoon Teams,
The Kit of Parts survey will go live today. It’s earlier than usual this year, so I don’t want you to miss it. Kate and Collin read every response and take teams’ input into consideration as they put together the kit of parts. So, please make sure your team reads the email blast (sent to your main and alternate contacts) and participates before the May 17th deadline.
The GDC Q&A forum will close today because we’re going virtual with the Q&A for the FRC Refs at CMP. Please tweet your rules questions to @FRCrefs by Monday – your questions will be answered during the Driver’s Meeting on Thursday morning (this replaces the live Q&A).
I need your help. I know all FRC teams are innovative and creative (you wouldn’t be in FRC if you weren’t). But, I need to find a few of the most innovative and creative FRC teams. Is your team especially ingenious? Has your team applied for a patent? Do you know any other FRC teams that are particularly original and inventive? Please send me an email about innovative teams that includes the name, number and a brief description of the team’s accomplishments. As always, I can be reached at FRCTeams@usfirst.org.
I invite all of you who will be attending Championship to join me for FRC Live. If you won’t be in St Louis, we’ll be posting video recordings of the meetings on the FRCTeamsglobal youtube site and providing links in this blog.
I mentioned the Popular Mechanics Supplement in my last blog and have received a few questions since. Yes, Eric Sofge mentions the discussion we had about possibly going to a three year game cycle. No, that’s not the only conversation the GDC has had about the future of game design. We’ve considered a number of ways of restructuring games and game design. I’ll discuss this topic further during FRCLive.
The supplies for CMP are packed and ready on the third floor waiting for the trucks to arrive. We always stage the materials on truck-shaped outlines beforehand so we can load the trucks quickly and smoothly when they get here. These two truckloads will join the 8 fields already on their way.
9 Days until Championship
See you then!
The Kit of Parts survey will go live today. It’s earlier than usual this year, so I don’t want you to miss it. Kate and Collin read every response and take teams’ input into consideration as they put together the kit of parts. So, please make sure your team reads the email blast (sent to your main and alternate contacts) and participates before the May 17th deadline.
The GDC Q&A forum will close today because we’re going virtual with the Q&A for the FRC Refs at CMP. Please tweet your rules questions to @FRCrefs by Monday – your questions will be answered during the Driver’s Meeting on Thursday morning (this replaces the live Q&A).
I need your help. I know all FRC teams are innovative and creative (you wouldn’t be in FRC if you weren’t). But, I need to find a few of the most innovative and creative FRC teams. Is your team especially ingenious? Has your team applied for a patent? Do you know any other FRC teams that are particularly original and inventive? Please send me an email about innovative teams that includes the name, number and a brief description of the team’s accomplishments. As always, I can be reached at FRCTeams@usfirst.org.
I invite all of you who will be attending Championship to join me for FRC Live. If you won’t be in St Louis, we’ll be posting video recordings of the meetings on the FRCTeamsglobal youtube site and providing links in this blog.
- Thursday 10:30AM - Kit Happens - Get Control System news first as we discuss FIRSTChoice and the 2012 Kit of Parts.
- Thursday 3:30PM - Behind the Scenes at FRC - Learn what it took to make 2011 a success and let us know what you want to see in 2012.
- Friday 10:30AM - The Future of FRC - Come hear what’s on tap for game design, Bag & Tag, and competitions.
I mentioned the Popular Mechanics Supplement in my last blog and have received a few questions since. Yes, Eric Sofge mentions the discussion we had about possibly going to a three year game cycle. No, that’s not the only conversation the GDC has had about the future of game design. We’ve considered a number of ways of restructuring games and game design. I’ll discuss this topic further during FRCLive.
The supplies for CMP are packed and ready on the third floor waiting for the trucks to arrive. We always stage the materials on truck-shaped outlines beforehand so we can load the trucks quickly and smoothly when they get here. These two truckloads will join the 8 fields already on their way.
9 Days until Championship
See you then!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
The clock is ticking
Good Afternoon Teams,
Now that week 6 is behind us, my staff and I are able to turn our attention to Championship. I still can’t tell you anything about Friday or Saturday night (watch for an official announcement from FIRST, most likely on April 20th), but there are a few more details about FRC that I can share.
On April 5th I told you there will be two qualification/elimination fields in the dome and two in the pits. That is still true. I also told you teams would switch fields at noon on Friday (move from a dome field to a pit field or vice versa). That has changed. After discussions with Staff, FTAs and support organizations, teams will switch fields at the end of the day on both Thursday and Friday.
Newton and Curie will spend all day Thursday on the fields in the pits while Archimedes and Galileo will spend the day on the fields in the dome. When competition concludes for the day on Thursday, teams and field volunteers will move to the new field. This gives my staff and the volunteers all night to ensure the switch goes smoothly. Archimedes and Galileo will spend all day Friday on the fields in the pits while Newton and Curie will spend the day in the dome. When competition concludes for the day on Friday, teams and field staff will move back. Newton and Curie will run Saturday’s qualification and division matches on the fields in the pits while Archimedes and Galileo will run qualification and division matches on the fields in the dome.
Note:
The fields from MN 10,000 Lakes, Dallas Regional, Colorado Regional, Buckeye, Utah, Silicon Valley, and North Carolina are already on their way to St Louis. Two more trucks, loaded with Championship specific supplies (banners, trophies, program books, FLL and FTC fields, etc.) will leave Bedford next week.
In other news:
The May edition of Popular Mechanics has a special pull out supplement all about FRC. The author Eric Sofge followed the GDC this year and shares his insights on the process. If you can, track down a copy, it’s a good article.
The highest score during the FRC Regionals was 150 points. It was scored by teams 1114, 3756, and 2056 during Semifinal match 1-1 at the Waterloo Regional. The highest possible score in LOGO MOTION is 158. I wonder if we’ll see that at Championship.
If Dean didn’t visit your Regional/District event, you can see what he has to say about the FIRST Green e-watt saver program here: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/content.aspx?id=18445
You can vote for Dean Kamen in the STEM Superhero Sweeps (and register to win an iPad2).
The last time I checked Dean was in first place.
This Saturday, April 16th, FIRST president Jon Dudas and a FIRST student will be speaking at the
National Robotics Week event at the Boston Museum of Science in Boston, MA
13 Days until Championship
See you then!
Now that week 6 is behind us, my staff and I are able to turn our attention to Championship. I still can’t tell you anything about Friday or Saturday night (watch for an official announcement from FIRST, most likely on April 20th), but there are a few more details about FRC that I can share.
On April 5th I told you there will be two qualification/elimination fields in the dome and two in the pits. That is still true. I also told you teams would switch fields at noon on Friday (move from a dome field to a pit field or vice versa). That has changed. After discussions with Staff, FTAs and support organizations, teams will switch fields at the end of the day on both Thursday and Friday.
Newton and Curie will spend all day Thursday on the fields in the pits while Archimedes and Galileo will spend the day on the fields in the dome. When competition concludes for the day on Thursday, teams and field volunteers will move to the new field. This gives my staff and the volunteers all night to ensure the switch goes smoothly. Archimedes and Galileo will spend all day Friday on the fields in the pits while Newton and Curie will spend the day in the dome. When competition concludes for the day on Friday, teams and field staff will move back. Newton and Curie will run Saturday’s qualification and division matches on the fields in the pits while Archimedes and Galileo will run qualification and division matches on the fields in the dome.
Note:
- Divisions will change fields twice, once at the end of the day on Thursday, and again at the end of the day on Friday.
- There will be two driver’s meetings. One Thursday, April 28th from 8:15-8:45AM and one Friday, April 29th from 7:45-8:00AM.
- Teams are invited to calibrate their sensors on BOTH fields Thursday 8:00-8:45AM
- All field volunteers – with the exception of queuers -will switch fields with the division
- Curie will switch fields with Archimedes; Newton will switch fields with Galileo
- Practice fields will not be open Wednesday night.
The fields from MN 10,000 Lakes, Dallas Regional, Colorado Regional, Buckeye, Utah, Silicon Valley, and North Carolina are already on their way to St Louis. Two more trucks, loaded with Championship specific supplies (banners, trophies, program books, FLL and FTC fields, etc.) will leave Bedford next week.
In other news:
The May edition of Popular Mechanics has a special pull out supplement all about FRC. The author Eric Sofge followed the GDC this year and shares his insights on the process. If you can, track down a copy, it’s a good article.
The highest score during the FRC Regionals was 150 points. It was scored by teams 1114, 3756, and 2056 during Semifinal match 1-1 at the Waterloo Regional. The highest possible score in LOGO MOTION is 158. I wonder if we’ll see that at Championship.
If Dean didn’t visit your Regional/District event, you can see what he has to say about the FIRST Green e-watt saver program here: http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/content.aspx?id=18445
You can vote for Dean Kamen in the STEM Superhero Sweeps (and register to win an iPad2).
The last time I checked Dean was in first place.
This Saturday, April 16th, FIRST president Jon Dudas and a FIRST student will be speaking at the
National Robotics Week event at the Boston Museum of Science in Boston, MA
13 Days until Championship
See you then!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
CMP confusion
Good Afternoon Teams,
I posted an update on Championship yesterday and since then have received more than a few questions about it. Let me see if I can clear a few things up.
There will be a total of four fields in the convention center; two practice fields and two fields where teams will play qualification and elimination matches. The qualification/elimination match fields will have bleachers on the two long sides (so you can sit on one side of the field to watch the action with the red alliance to your left and the blue alliance to your right or sit on the other side of the field and watch with the blue alliance to your left and the red alliance to your right).
There will be a total of three fields in the dome: two fields where teams will play qualification and elimination matches plus Einstein.
Teams will be assigned a pit on Wednesday night. Teams will not change pits.
Opening and closing ceremonies will be held in the dome on the stage next to Einstein.
I did not include the schedule for the Saturday qualification & elimination matches in my last blog post simply because times haven’t changed from the public agenda currently posted. The public agenda on our website will be updated to show the updates as soon as we can resolve some issues we are having with the content management system.
21 Days until Championship
See you then!
I posted an update on Championship yesterday and since then have received more than a few questions about it. Let me see if I can clear a few things up.
There will be a total of four fields in the convention center; two practice fields and two fields where teams will play qualification and elimination matches. The qualification/elimination match fields will have bleachers on the two long sides (so you can sit on one side of the field to watch the action with the red alliance to your left and the blue alliance to your right or sit on the other side of the field and watch with the blue alliance to your left and the red alliance to your right).
There will be a total of three fields in the dome: two fields where teams will play qualification and elimination matches plus Einstein.
Teams will be assigned a pit on Wednesday night. Teams will not change pits.
Opening and closing ceremonies will be held in the dome on the stage next to Einstein.
I did not include the schedule for the Saturday qualification & elimination matches in my last blog post simply because times haven’t changed from the public agenda currently posted. The public agenda on our website will be updated to show the updates as soon as we can resolve some issues we are having with the content management system.
21 Days until Championship
See you then!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
The latest on CMP
Good Afternoon Teams,
The Championship Planning Committee met last night. Its mindboggling how many details there are to running an event like the Championship every year. Now that we’re moving to a new location, after seven years in Atlanta, GA, the committee needs to examine every aspect of the event, ask ‘why do we do this this way?’ and determine ‘what is the best way to do this in St. Louis?’ Not everything is 100% firm yet, but here is the latest information I have on the 2011 FIRST Championship.
Wednesday
5-9:30PM – 5 representatives from each FRC team will be allowed into the pits to:
Teams may calibrate their robot sensors on the competition fields 8:00am-8:45am
Practice matches run 9:00am – noon
Qualification matches run 1:00-7:00pm YES, MATCHES RUN UNTIL 7PM
Pits will stay open until 8PM
Friday
Opening Ceremonies start at 8:30am. There will be NO ROBOT PARADE.
Qualification matches 9:30am-5:00pm YES, MATCHES ARE SCHEDULED TO END AT 5PM
The FIRST Dean’s List presentation will be held at noon in the Ballroom
Pits and the NASA machine shops will stay open until 7pm
Saturday
Closing Ceremonies, including the final FRC matches and award presentations are scheduled 4:00pm-6:00
I will be hosting half hour FRC Live sessions at 10:30 & 3:30 on Thursday and at 10:30 on Friday. I’m not ready to announce the topics, but I do want to thank everyone who sent in suggestions.
The floor plan will be VERY DIFFERENT in St. Louis. New this year, two qualification fields will be located in the Dome and two qualification fields will be located in the pits. To ensure all teams get to compete both in the high profile Dome and on the easy access, intimate fields in the pits, divisions will swap fields at noon on Friday. Specifically: if your team starts qualification rounds on Dome field #1 on Thursday, your team will move to Pit field #1 on Friday while the teams who started qualification rounds on Pit field #1 on Thursday, move to Dome field #1 on Friday
Watch this space, and your team’s main and alternate contact’s email inbox for additional updates. I understand from the committee that there will be more details available on April 20th.
22 Days until Championship
See you then!
The Championship Planning Committee met last night. Its mindboggling how many details there are to running an event like the Championship every year. Now that we’re moving to a new location, after seven years in Atlanta, GA, the committee needs to examine every aspect of the event, ask ‘why do we do this this way?’ and determine ‘what is the best way to do this in St. Louis?’ Not everything is 100% firm yet, but here is the latest information I have on the 2011 FIRST Championship.
Wednesday
5-9:30PM – 5 representatives from each FRC team will be allowed into the pits to:
- Uncrate their robot – robot inspectors will be on hand to check your lock-up form if your last regional was a bag & tag event
- Work on their robot – the NASA machine shops will be open
- Get their robot inspected
- Get their encryption key
Teams may calibrate their robot sensors on the competition fields 8:00am-8:45am
Practice matches run 9:00am – noon
Qualification matches run 1:00-7:00pm YES, MATCHES RUN UNTIL 7PM
Pits will stay open until 8PM
Friday
Opening Ceremonies start at 8:30am. There will be NO ROBOT PARADE.
Qualification matches 9:30am-5:00pm YES, MATCHES ARE SCHEDULED TO END AT 5PM
The FIRST Dean’s List presentation will be held at noon in the Ballroom
Pits and the NASA machine shops will stay open until 7pm
Saturday
Closing Ceremonies, including the final FRC matches and award presentations are scheduled 4:00pm-6:00
I will be hosting half hour FRC Live sessions at 10:30 & 3:30 on Thursday and at 10:30 on Friday. I’m not ready to announce the topics, but I do want to thank everyone who sent in suggestions.
The floor plan will be VERY DIFFERENT in St. Louis. New this year, two qualification fields will be located in the Dome and two qualification fields will be located in the pits. To ensure all teams get to compete both in the high profile Dome and on the easy access, intimate fields in the pits, divisions will swap fields at noon on Friday. Specifically: if your team starts qualification rounds on Dome field #1 on Thursday, your team will move to Pit field #1 on Friday while the teams who started qualification rounds on Pit field #1 on Thursday, move to Dome field #1 on Friday
Watch this space, and your team’s main and alternate contact’s email inbox for additional updates. I understand from the committee that there will be more details available on April 20th.
22 Days until Championship
See you then!
Friday, April 1, 2011
In case you can't find it
Good Afternoon Teams,
The Las Vegas webcast is now located at www.regionalwebcast.com
26 days to Championship
See you then!
The Las Vegas webcast is now located at www.regionalwebcast.com
26 days to Championship
See you then!
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