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FIRST Robotics Championship Underway

Posted by timothy on from the pull-up-an-eyeball dept.

Bob Moretti writes "The annual FIRST robotics championship is underway at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. 295 of the best high school teams from North America and beyond have brought close to 20,000 students. 130 pound, 5 foot tall robots compete for pride and national recognition. NASA is providing a webcast. An explanation of the somewhat complicated rules can be found here. Any event that puts science and engineering in the spotlight for thousands of high school kids, many of them from low income or inner city areas, is a must-see. <shameless promotion> My team is currently in 20th place in the Galileo division. </shameless promotion>"

8 of 124 comments (clear)

  1. Robots compete? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    130 pound, 5 foot tall robots compete for pride and national recognition.

    The robots do what they do because some nice person has placed a wire up their ass, unless this is an advanced AI contest.

    1. Re:Robots compete? by Exiler · · Score: 2, Funny

      Man, I'm jealous. I go to Sprayberry a few miles away and our most technical course is "Build the school webpage while being screamed at not to use a text editor rather than frontpage," IE, "Gifted Computer Programming" and you guys get robots? =P

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      Banaaaana!
  2. Just goes to show... by Realistic_Dragon · · Score: 4, Funny

    The robocup (real football/socer) people use 23cm diameter max robots. The american football people use 5 foot robots.

    Bet the american football robots still insist on wearing body armour. Bunch of old women :o)

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    Beep beep.
  3. Let's be honest by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    The most successful candidates, the most experienced candidates, are fundamentally driven by the simple, throbbing desire to eventually succeed in building a real girl (or at least an interim jerk-off-bot) a la Weird Science.

  4. Someone had to say it... by SuperBanana · · Score: 4, Funny

    I for one welcome our teenage robot building overlords!

    Er, wait....that would be truly frightening. Robot-building teenager overlords! Yeah, that's it.

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    Please help metamoderate.
  5. Re:WEsttown by Aardpig · · Score: 3, Funny

    My School, WEttown School, a large Private school in East PA is there too. They are the team that one the "Best Rookie Team" Award at the Anapolis Reagionals and placed 15th there too! WE are all really syked about their success.

    A Special Needs school, then?

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    Tubal-Cain smokes the white owl.
  6. Re:WEsttown by Farrell · · Score: 3, Funny

    My team is local to Georgia, we placed 1st at our regionals and got the Chairman award. We also got the Rookie award last year. In 2 years, we've received 6 awards. ^.^ We're gonna come out on top today. Which division are you in?

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    I want you to assume that all spelling and grammar errors are intentional. Thank You.
  7. Re:terrible webcast by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Why would we need to secure our networks? I thought everyone followed the "Gracious Professionalism" that Dean preaches about? Those competitions are more real world then they appear to be.