Lewis is the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) assistant regional director and senior mentor for the District of Columbia. FIRST inspires high school students nationwide to pursue careers in science through robotics competitions. The 2010 FIRST Robotics Virginia Regional will be held Friday and Saturday in Richmond.
What does a robotics competition look like?
I can only equate it to a Redskins game on a good day. It has the same level of excitement that you would find at a sports event.
How does a match work?
Teams are divided into a red or blue alliance. Students don’t know who is on which alliance until the event. Soccer balls were strategically placed — we called it “soccer on steroids” — in the field. The goal is to score points on the opposite end of the field. The robots can only do this by either kicking or pushing the balls into the goals.
How many on a team?
The average team size is about 25, and we do have some smaller teams of six students.
What are the robots made of?
The robots are made out of what we call a kit of parts that is provided by FIRST team legislators. Students all get the same parts including wheels, chains and various electronic programming devices used to build the robot. Not everything is included, just enough to provide a basic foundation and additional money for parts that teams would have fabricated for robots.
How long have robotics competitions been around?
FIRST was founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen. … He invented the Segway, the mobile dialysis system and the tremendous invention in developing countries that purifies and generates water.
— Kaitlin Schluter
