18 January 2011
Posted in
Science Park
This past year over 300 High School teams competed in a competition involving obstacles, not by the use of physical actions, but by the use of robots. How would you like to be involved in a revolutionary science competition? The FIRST Robotics Championship takes a year of preparation concluding with a 3-day competition event. At the beginning of the year, each team receives all the necessary tools including strings, wires, gears and metal pieces to begin the production of their own robots. They then compete in a regional competition in anticipation to make it to the finals. During the finals, the teams break into groups where they vigorously compete in a game called “breakaway” which is similar to soccer with added obstacles, until one team is crowned the champion.
This mission of the FIRST Robotics competition is getting students involved in science and technology. The highest honor is the Chairman’s Award, and the team named Miss Daisy, from Wissahickon won this past year. Although they were not in the final round, they have been competing for the past 11 years and always engage their entire community in the process.
The FIRST Robotics competition is a great way for students to excel in science using a hands-on approach. Using only the materials received in a box, these students can create functional robots, something they can be very proud of. If you would like a chance to become a science inventor, this website provides all the information necessary to start your own team!
