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FIRST Robotics Competitions

Engineering Competitions for Kids Ages 6-18

FIRST Robotics, Tech Challenge and Lego League Championships
FIRST is a non-profit organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) uses robotics and exciting sports-like competitions to help students develop the skills needed to compete in the technology-driven global economy. Maryland has more than 250 FIRST teams, from kindergarten through 12th grade, ages 6-18. FIRST programs use robotics as the vehicle to engage students in the hands-on, minds-on creative process of technological innovation. But there's much more to FIRST than the robots. FIRST cultivates skills in communication, marketing, program management, fundraising, team building, leadership and more. FIRST celebrates young men and women working smart in science and technology, and paves the way for future academic and career success.
For more information see www.mdfirst.org

FIRST Tech Challenge- The State Championship will be February. 25, at the JHU Applied Physics Lab, Laurel.

The FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) robotics competition for high school students offers the inspiration of a FIRST Robotics Competition, but is generally more affordable and accessible.
Teams of up to 10 students, with adult leaders and mentors, build a small remote-controlled robot using a custom robotic platform created specifically for FIRST. Each year's game is different, and teams must strategize, design and build their robots accordingly. At competitions, two-team alliances square off in successive two-and-a-half minute rounds combining autonomous and operator-controlled play. During the season, teams document their progress and the process behind the creation and deployment of their robot, then present their results to judges. Teams can earn awards in areas that include engineering, design excellence, competitive play and sportsmanship. Participants in the FIRST Tech Challenge are eligible for millions of dollars in college scholarships through FIRST. The State Championship will be February. 25, at the JHU Applied Physics Lab, Laurel.

FIRST Robotics Competition - March 8-10 at the Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, Maryland

The FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is the premier engineering challenge for high school students ages 14 -18.. Teams of students, working closely with teachers and volunteer mentors, have six weeks to conceptualize, design, build, program, modify and test a robot to participate in a competition that changes each year.
Every January, FIRST unveils the competition or “game” at an annual kick-off event that is simulcast to locations around the world. Teams receive a “kit” of common parts that are used to build the core systems of the robot, but they won’t find an instruction manual! Students work with hundreds of components, including engineering mainstays such as programmable radio controllers, motors, electrical circuitry and mechanical parts. Following the six-week design and build phase, teams enter one of 50 regional competitions, including the Chesapeake Regional. The Chesapeake Regional is Maryland's premier event for the FIRST Robotics Competition. More than 1,000 high school students on teams from Maryland and around the country compete for the right to go on to the FIRST Championship. This year the competition will be on March 8-10 at the Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, Maryland
The season culminates with the FIRST Championship, a three-day event attended by more than 20,000 students, families and friends.

FIRST LEGO League, – Championship on January 28 at the UMBC Retriever Athletic Center.

FIRST LEGO League (FLL) is a result of an exciting alliance between FIRST and the LEGO Company. Guided by adult mentors and their own imaginations, FLL students solve real-world engineering challenges and develop important life skills.
FLL provides students age 9-14 with a hands-on, interactive robotics program in a sports-like atmosphere. Teams of up to 10 players focus on team building, problem solving, creativity, and analytical thinking to develop solutions to a problem currently facing the world - the Challenge.
Each September, a new Challenge is unveiled to FLL teams across the world. Over the ensuing 8 weeks, the teams strategize, design, build, program, test and refine a fully autonomous robot using LEGO MINDSTORMS™ technology. The teams also do their own research, talk to professionals, and develop compelling presentations which relate to the Challenge. At FLL competitions, the teams are evaluated on their robot's performance, their presentation, teamwork and robot design. The 2011-12 Maryland FLL Championship will be held January 28, 2012 at the UMBC Retriever Athletic Center. Up to 64 teams are invited to the Championship on the basis of their performance in one of Maryland's FLL Qualifier events. The Qualifier events are held in various locations throughout the state in December and January.
All Maryland FLL events are free and open to the public. If you and your children have an interest in technology and robotics you should plan on attending one of their events. It's the best way to see FIRST in action!

For more information see www.mdfirst.org