DETROIT, March 19, 2005 - Six weeks of rigorous preparation was capped off by two days of noise, excitement and exhaustion. In the end, three high school robotics teams - Rochester Adams High School (sponsored by Siemens Automotive VDO and GM Finance Staff), Utica Community Schools (Ford Motor Company, FANUC Robotics and B&K Corporation) and Dearborn High School (Ford Motor Company and m80.net) triumphed as the winning alliance versus some of the toughest competition these students and their adult mentors will ever face.
The competitors - which in the FIRST Robotics\' environment are more appropriately seen as revered colleagues - came from across Michigan and from Ohio (36 teams total) to drive, bump, navigate and command their uniquely original robots on the playing field of the Detroit Regional at Wayne State University.
On the way to winning the event, the alliance scored the second highest points in a single FIRST Robotics match anywhere so far in the United States this year. In addition, the Rochester Hills team qualified first from this competition\'s practice rounds, won a Judges\' Award and added the Detroit title to the title it claimed as winner of the Sacramento, Calif., Regional held from March 2-5. The Utica team clinched the Johnson & Johnson Sportsmanship Award and the Dearborn team the Kleiner Perkins Caulfield and Byers Entrepreneurship Award.
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition (www.usfirst.org) is a national engineering contest that immerses high school students in the exciting world of engineering and technology. Teaming up with adult mentors from businesses and universities, students get a hands-on, inside look at engineering and the technical professions - all within a framework of competition and a sports-like environment complete with referees, time clocks, scoreboards and wildly cheering fans. Michigan hosts three of the 31 Regionals across the United States and Canada, with the upcoming West Michigan Regional scheduled for March 31-April 2 at Allendale, Mich.
The object of the game changes each year so "veteran" teams have no more distinct advantage to playing it than do rookie teams, yet experience gained each year can be very important to many facets of designing, constructing and operating a robot. The 2005 game was planned for robots (controlled via human guiding joy sticks) to stack triangle-shaped "tetras" onto various goals around the 54 feet x 27 feet playing field, with bonus points earned by having your alliance\'s tetra on top, and/or three in a row like tic-tac-toe.
FIRST\'s rules require that teams learn how to work together and form alliances, pairing up in a way that maximizes each team\'s robot capabilities against another alliance of three teams on the field at the same time. Awards are additionally given, for instance, to teams for sportsmanship, entrepreneurship, creativity and spirit as well as industrial design, technology, website design and animation. Particular emphasis is placed on developing partnerships between schools, businesses, and universities to provide an exchange of resources and talent, highlighting mutual needs, building cooperation, and exposing students to new career choices.
Teams that score well in the regionals will advance to the National Championship Event, to be held this year at Atlanta, Ga., April 21-23, where approximately 20,000 students are expected to participate.
ABOUT FIRST
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people, their schools and their communities. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology and engineering. With the support of many of the world\'s most well-known companies, the non-profit organization hosts the FIRST Robotics Competition for high school students and the FIRST LEGO™ League for children 9-14 years old. To learn more about FIRST and the FIRST Robotics Competition go to www.usfirst.org .