ISA, Automation Federation support kickoff of annual robotics competition
Attracting more than 80,000 high school students, the 2016 FIRST Robotics Competition began earlier this month.
Attracting more than 80,000 high school students comprising some 3,100 teams, the 2016 FIRST Robotics Competition began earlier this month. A nonprofit organization, FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen to inspire in youths an appreciation of science and technology. The organization is based in New Hampshire, where it designs accessible, innovative programs to build “self-confidence, knowledge and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology and engineering.” As partners of FIRST, the Automation Federation and the International Society of Automation (ISA) are encouraging their members to support the range of FIRST education programs.
This year’s competition, FIRST STRONGHOLD, will pair students with adult mentors. The students will have six weeks to design, build, program and test their robots to meet this year’s engineering challenge. Boasting castles and obstacles, the challenge’s medieval setting will force teams to design robots that can break down their opponent’s defenses, cross barriers and capture the opposing team’s castle.