FIRST Tech Challenge

FIRST Tech Challenge

Current season or competition: Ring It Up!
Formerly	FIRST Vex Challenge
Sport	Robotics-related games
Inaugural season	2005
Country(ies)	International
Venue(s)	Edward Jones Dome - St. Louis (world level), numerous smaller locations (state level)
Most recent champion(s)	Robocats - 4444 Masquerade - 4997 ILITE Robotics - 354
TV partner(s)	NASA TV
Founder	Dean Kamen
Official website	FTC

The FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), formerly the FIRST Vex Challenge (FVC), is a robotics competition targeted toward middle and high school-aged students. It offers the traditional challenge of a FIRST Robotics competition but with a more accessible and affordable robotics kit. The ultimate goal of FTC is to reach more young people with a lower-cost, more accessible opportunity to discover the excitement and rewards of science, technology, engineering and math.

History

The FIRST Tech Challenge grew out of the existing FIRST Robotics Competition and the IFI Robovation platform. FIRST, RadioShack, and Innovation First collaborated to develop an improved version of the IFI Robovation kit. The kit was significantly upgraded and called the Vex Robotics Design System. For the 2008 season Pitsco developed a platform that uses the NXT brick along with additional hardware and a new structural framework under the new name of TETRIX. Using aluminum parts that will allow participants to add Lego parts and sensors the kit includes 4 DC motors and larger wheels. In addition to hardware changes, the system may now be programmed using NXT-G, RobotC, and LabVIEW.

In 2005-06, FIRST piloted the FIRST Vex Challenge as a potential program. The pilot season brought together over 130 teams to compete in 6 regional tournaments^{[citation needed]} in a 1/3 scale FIRST Frenzy: Raising the Bar. Fifty teams participated in the FVC tournament at the FIRST Championship in April, 2006. On April 29, 2006 the FIRST Board of Directors voted to extend FVC for the 2006-2007 season.

In Summer 2007, after two seasons as the FIRST Vex Challenge, FIRST announced that the program would be renamed the FIRST Tech Challenge.

Competition

The game challenge is different every year, and as such, many aspects change year-to-year. However, games are always played on a 12' by 12' square or diamond field covered in rubberized floor tiles. The game is played by two alliances (red and blue) of two teams each, for a total of four robots on the field each match. At the start of a match, the robots cannot exceed 18" in height, width or length, but can expand during play. In each match, there is an autonomous period followed by an operator-controlled period. Depending on the year, the autonomous period can range from 20 to 45 seconds (30 is the most common) and the operator period lasts 2 minutes.

Along with building and programming a robot, FTC teams are required to create an 'Engineering Notebook' that documents their build season and team experience. It helps teams to reflect on positive and negative experiences and how to improve. It also shows the judges at tournaments what the teams have overcome throughout the year.

Schedule

In September each year, FIRST announces the game challenge to FTC teams at Kickoff. Unlike FRC, there is no 'ship day' when the robot has to be finished; Teams can work on their robots up to and during competitions. Qualifying Tournaments and State Championships occur from October through March, and the World Championship is held in April.

Events

Official FTC events are Qualifying or Championship Tournaments; unofficial events are Scrimmage Tournaments. At Championship Tournaments, teams are invited to the World Championship based on predetermined advancement criteria. Qualifying Tournaments exist in areas with a large number of teams. Winners of Qualifying Tournaments are invited to Championship Tournaments.

There are several ways for teams to qualify to compete in the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship. Teams are automatically invited if they win the Inspire Award or are captain of the winning alliance at a Championship Tournament. Remaining slots are given in order to first pick for winning alliance, second pick for winning alliance, and Think Award winners, all at Championship Tournaments.

Awards

The following are awards presented at official Championship and Qualifying Tournaments:

For Teams

• Inspire Award
• Rockwell Collins Innovate Award
• Motivate Award
• Connect Award
• Think Award
• PTC Design Award
• Promote Award
• Winning Alliance Award
• Finalist Alliance Award

For Individuals

• Compass Award

Competition themes

In the past, the challenges have been based on several different themes:

• 2012–2013 - Ring It Up!
• 2011–2012 - Bowled Over!
• 2010–2011 - Get Over It!
• 2009–2010 - Hot Shot!
• 2008–2009 - Face Off
• 2007–2008 - Quad Quandary
• 2006–2007 - Hangin'-A-Round
• 2005–2006 - Half-Pipe Hustle

Gallery

• 

  Robot made from Vex kit (in use prior to 2007)

• 

  Robot made from TETRIX kit (Team 37)

See also

• FIRST at Wikipedia books

• FIRST - FIRST Organization
• Vex Robotics Design System
• FIRST Lego League
• FIRST Championship

External links

• Official website
• Official FIRST website
• Official FIRST LEGO League website
• ChiefDelphi - Unofficial FIRST Forums
• NI FTC Community Page- For LabVIEW Users
• Robot Gossip
• Unofficial Wiki on FIRST
• New FTC platform