Video of IR Seeker Program

I just got this quick video from our friend Steve Hassenplug. He uses one of our IR beacons and an IR Seeker sensor - just like our teams have this year.

He put together a quick NXT-G program and showed how he used the seeker to play "cat-and-mouse" with the beacon.

We don't recommend using NXT-G in competition but it can be useful for prototyping work. In fact please don't use NXT-G in competition. As programs in competition get larger NXT-G is not the optimum solution as it can get cumbersome.

That said - this is a neat example with just a bit of code.

Ken

FTC Championships - Extended

Many of you responded to a poll posted on this blog recently regarding extending the FTC World Championships into Saturday - thanks.

As most of you know FTC has traditionally ended late Friday - leaving Saturday exclusively for FRC events and the closing ceremonies.

We've decided to extend the FTC Championship into Saturday for a few reasons. It will give teams more plays, allow a bit more freedom for FTC'ers to interact with others, and put FTC on a "bigger stage" by extending it into Saturday.

The plan is to hold the semifinal and final FTC rounds Saturday morning and FTC closing ceremonies mid-day.

FTC continues to grow and we're excited to be including Saturday as part of the World Championship experience.

Ken

The FTC Experience - Input

We go through several planning cycles each year here at FIRST. The time between the FTC game release and the start of the FTC season is one of those cycles.

An interesting question came up here at FIRST the other day. I'd love to hear feedback from the FTC community on their opinions.

The question was "what does the FTC community value about the FTC experience?" Good question.

Answers came back ranging from 'inspiration to become technology leaders of the future' and 'hands-on experience with technology and gracious professionalism' to the more basic 'a fun way to compete using technology.'

These are valid answers but it also begs another question. What does FIRST offer that other programs don't or can't? When FIRST got started 20 years ago we were unique. Dean saw a widening gap in the need for qualified young engineers and the number of kids interested in science and technology. As a result FIRST was born in that gym in Manchester.

20 years later there are a variety of robotics programs out there. None however have as their core mission to 'Inspire the next generation of technology heroes.' As a result FIRST attracts great sponsors who share this goal. We also attract a wide range of the best engineering schools in the country - this year FIRST scholarships will total about $13M. That's up about 30% over last year - in a tough economy.

Internally most people at FIRST believe they're helping to change the world. If however FIRST is viewed as just another robotics competition among many...

At the end of the day you, our community, determine what you take away from the FIRST experience. Like any group there is undoubtedly a diversity of reasons why you are involved with FIRST and FTC. I'd like to hear them - feel free to comment here.

Thanks - Ken

Call for photos and video

If anyone is developing anything cool for HotShot! they'd like to see posted send me a video or a photo and I'll post it.

Last year I posted a really impressive bot built for FaceOff... that may have given some teams ideas for their own. So don't send me anything you don't want shared.

"Crash and Burn" examples are fine too. If you can't have fun doing this then why do it right?

Ken