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Learn About FIRST's New Embedded Linux Controller (Video)
Our interviewee today is Mike Anderson, an adviser to FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Team 116 at Herndon High School in Virginia. He's here to tell us about the new embedded Linux controller FIRST is using this year. It is apparently a bit short of documentation at this stage, so team 116 and others have been posting what they learn at Chief Delphi, which is 'the' FIRST online discussion forum (and fun to read to keep up with all things FIRST). We've talked about FIRST before. We've taken you to FIRST competitions, and looked behind the scenes at the building of a FIRST robot, and will no doubt keep covering a selection of FIRST activities in the future.
FIRST is obscenely expensive. I was asked to judge a regional last year. I was stunned to learn how expensive it is to participate. The entry fee is $6k. That buys a basic parts kit. Throw in tools, the rest of the parts and other expenses and it's a minimum of $10-20k to play. The winning teams have workshops that cost nearly a million dollars (e.g. water jet cutters, CNC mills, etc). It's mostly just RC robot wars.