More ramblings. Dean Kamen has truly created a miracle here with FIRST. He describes it as a kind of athletics for the mind – and this is truly the Super Bowl, the Stanley Cup and the World Series of robotics all together. The competition here is really intense and concentrated. One of the reasons that FIRST was formed was to encourage students to take science and engineering seriously, and to recognize students for doing so – and as a by-product of that others take science and engineering students seriously.
In spite of the silly costumes, there is a directness of purpose here that is unmistakable. These are going to be the NASA scientists of the future, the developers of the next generations of computers and technology.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
First good post from Atlanta
What an extraordinary day! I don't know if words can adequately convey how much excitement and fun there is here in the Georgia Dome and convention center. The pit area is full of color and costumes, and very serious engineers-in-the-making. And it is huge! It takes about 10 minutes to walk from the pits to the arena – and it is all on the teams themselves to make it on time – no babysitter announcements here.
Scouts are everywhere in the pits, asking each team a predetermined set of questions – what kind of engine do you have? How many speeds – 2 or 4? How maneuverable are you? What are your strengths? They are in the stands as well, with notebooks and laptops at the ready, picking potential alliance partners and not taking the partners' word for their abilities.
Parents and mentors are here too – many dressed in the team uniform, sometimes more fanciful than their kids (my current favorite is the mid-50ish man with the blue and yellow spikes in his hair). There are also 50 New Zealanders here, all wearing black baseball caps with little stuffed kiwis on the top. The Kiwis aren't here with a team – they are looking to start their own regional competition!
Our guys are fitting right in. And the bot is more than holding its own, performing well in both auton and controlled mode. This is the first time we have seen the cream of the crop here – some of the bots are deceptively simple, but maneuver with complexity. Some are incredibly complex, and can't maneuver at all. Competition is going to be fierce – that's for sure.
More later – with pictures!
Scouts are everywhere in the pits, asking each team a predetermined set of questions – what kind of engine do you have? How many speeds – 2 or 4? How maneuverable are you? What are your strengths? They are in the stands as well, with notebooks and laptops at the ready, picking potential alliance partners and not taking the partners' word for their abilities.
Parents and mentors are here too – many dressed in the team uniform, sometimes more fanciful than their kids (my current favorite is the mid-50ish man with the blue and yellow spikes in his hair). There are also 50 New Zealanders here, all wearing black baseball caps with little stuffed kiwis on the top. The Kiwis aren't here with a team – they are looking to start their own regional competition!
Our guys are fitting right in. And the bot is more than holding its own, performing well in both auton and controlled mode. This is the first time we have seen the cream of the crop here – some of the bots are deceptively simple, but maneuver with complexity. Some are incredibly complex, and can't maneuver at all. Competition is going to be fierce – that's for sure.
More later – with pictures!
Atlanta - first day
It wasn't even light yet when Richard, Conor, Matt and I left for the airport this morning. But AirTran delivered us safely, and we were met by FIRST flags flying in the streets and lots of kids in matching team t-shirts. Off to the Georgia Dome now to pick pick up press passes and meet up with the rest of the team.
More later in the day.
More later in the day.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Day 2 of competition - part 2
Day 2 competition – part 2
Number 8 in the standings! And even better we were picked by the 4th seed team to be in their alliance. So it will be Teams 1218, 2377 and 1629 against the rest.
Quarterfinals – Match 1
The finals are a best two out of three series of matches. So there will be the quarterfinals, then the semis, and then obviously, the finals. So potentially, we could have 9 matches to play still.
In the quarterfinals, after a shocker where the 8th seed alliance beat the 1st seed alliance, it was #4 vs. #5. Not a particularly good match for the good guys in the red alliance. We were able to hurdle only once and the auton mode didn't produce as many points as in previous matches. And one of the arms is a bit wonky – not sure what the trouble is, but it looks like it's not working properly. The 5th seed alliance wasn't exciting, but they were able to produce the points where and when they were needed.
Quarterfinals – Match 2
A must win for the good guys. An incredible match with the blue alliance putting up a ball on the top of the hurdle right at the last minute for an additional 12 points. The final score was 82 to 70 – and we all waited breathlessly to see if penalties would make a difference. Unfortunately for us in the red alliance, the penalities were against us, dropping us 10 points and to our second loss – knocking us out of the match.
All in all, it bodes well for the nationals in Atlanta – the coolest bot, with an experienced team.
Thanks to all the sponsors, the parents, the mentors, and the kids – it was a great ride while it lasted! And now on to Atlanta!
Number 8 in the standings! And even better we were picked by the 4th seed team to be in their alliance. So it will be Teams 1218, 2377 and 1629 against the rest.
Quarterfinals – Match 1
The finals are a best two out of three series of matches. So there will be the quarterfinals, then the semis, and then obviously, the finals. So potentially, we could have 9 matches to play still.
In the quarterfinals, after a shocker where the 8th seed alliance beat the 1st seed alliance, it was #4 vs. #5. Not a particularly good match for the good guys in the red alliance. We were able to hurdle only once and the auton mode didn't produce as many points as in previous matches. And one of the arms is a bit wonky – not sure what the trouble is, but it looks like it's not working properly. The 5th seed alliance wasn't exciting, but they were able to produce the points where and when they were needed.
Quarterfinals – Match 2
A must win for the good guys. An incredible match with the blue alliance putting up a ball on the top of the hurdle right at the last minute for an additional 12 points. The final score was 82 to 70 – and we all waited breathlessly to see if penalties would make a difference. Unfortunately for us in the red alliance, the penalities were against us, dropping us 10 points and to our second loss – knocking us out of the match.
All in all, it bodes well for the nationals in Atlanta – the coolest bot, with an experienced team.
Thanks to all the sponsors, the parents, the mentors, and the kids – it was a great ride while it lasted! And now on to Atlanta!
Day 2 of competition - part 1
Day 2 of competition – Match 1
A commanding win, thanks to the drive team. Coached by Conor, Jack maneuvered flawlessly among the traffic on the field, including a bot hung up on the hurdle in the middle. Rob used the arms to advantage, scooping up rebounds of the trackball, and hurdling with ease. Matt had the auton/hybrid mode under control with his VCR remote, circling the track. All in all, a very satisfying win with very strong alliance partners. For the moment, we are in 12th place.
Match 2
Another win – this time with alliance partners Haverford and Agnes Irwin – against a blue alliance with Episcopal! What are the odds of 4 Inter-Ac teams being on the field at the same time? In spite of 30 points in penalties (ouch!) eating into the red alliance's 98 point score, it was a commanding lead and win. Again, we had an amazing performance out of our drive team. The blue alliance wasn't able to mount an effective defense again Team 1218's auton mode – which gained 40 points in the first 30 seconds of the match.
Match 3 – end of the qualifying matches
Oh man! A squeaker – decided by a penalty … and … the BLUE alliance wins! And guess who was the major producer for the blue alliance – Team 1218. Haven't been to the board yet to see where we are in the standings, but we're at 6 – 2 which is pretty impressive. Alliance picks will be in about ½ hour. Even if we aren't in the top 8, it's pretty much a sure thing that we are going to the finals – we certainly have the coolest bot!
Friday, March 14, 2008
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