First Robots

2009 Competition

In 1969, eight years and two months later Neil Armstrong set foot on the lunar surface. To honor the 50 year anniversary of this event, FIRST has define a challenge like no other, Lunacy, of course it is like that almost every year. Yet this year has thrown something at us that we have never seen before. Usually there is a large structure or obstacle in the playfield, yet this year it is completely empty. Instead each robot has a circular trailer with a “basket” on it behind them. A team’s objective is that they must drive around and attempt to score a “moon rock” (a 9 inch ball) into the opponent’s trailers. Scoring can be accomplished by either dumping the balls or shooting them into the trailers of the opponents. Oh, and the floor, it has a Coefficient of Friction that is equal to 0.5. For those who don’t excel at Physics (join the club) that is simulating the gravity of the moon, or 1/6 of what you would weigh here on Earth. So while slipping and sliding around, a team must place a 9-inch ball in an 18-inch basket.

2009 Colorado Regional

Once again we did not walk away empty handed. Although we did not place well in the seeding rounds, we did receive the Rockwell Automation Innovation in Control Award for our unique 4WD drive system. Teams 1158 "The Corps" and 207 "The Metalcrafters" thought our drive system would be useful for defensive manuvers so they invited us to join their alliance as they moved into the quarter finals and then into the finals where we lost to some outstanding competition, our good friends team S.W.I.F.T. and their partners teams 2996 and 399. Another good season.

Click for the 2009 Game Animation

Colorado Region Quarter Final Video (24MB mp4 file)

2008 Competition

In the 2008 game FIRST Overdrive, students’ robots are designed to race around a track knocking down 40" inflated Trackballs and moving them around the track, passing them either over or under a 6'6" overpass. Extra points are scored by robots positioning the Trackballs back on the overpass before the end of the 2 minute and 15 second match.

2008 Colorado Regional - With hard effort and problem solving skills our robot Audrey III finally was able to shine the semi-finals as she lofted the ball high over the goal, overcoming the mechanical problems which had held us back all day. The crowd roared! One of the cool things about these competitions is how the students from all the teams help each other and work together. They all knew the mechanical problems we were experiencing and they were behind us 100% when we finally overcame them in the semi-finals. What a fabulous experience.

At the Colorado Regional Team Blitz’s robot Audrey III was one of only two robots able to successfully launch the ball over the rack. Most teams threw the ball under the rack or placed the ball over the rack. Although we did not place in the finals at the regional competition we still walked away with an award. We won the 2008 Colorado Regional Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Entrepreneurship  Award. 

Click for the 2008 Game Animation

2007 Competition

In the 2007 game Rack ‘N’ Roll, students’ robots are designed to hang inflated colored tubes on pegs configured in rows and columns on a 10-foot high center “rack” structure. Extra points are scored by robots being in their home zone and lifted more than 4” off the floor by another robot before the end of the 2 minute and 15 second match..

2007 Colorado Regional - As a first year rookie team, Team Blitz took the competition by surprise when we flew through the competition all the way to the finals where unfortunately we lost in the final round. Team Blitz and their robot Fritz placed 6th in the standings and made it into the finals at the Rocky Mountain Regional competition.However we did come home with the Colorado Regional Rookie All Star award which qualified us to move on to the World Championship in Atlanta Georgia. It was a thrill to get into the final round in the championship, placing second over all. As a rookie team, we were glad to have a working robot that competed so well never mind qualifying to attend the World Championships.

2007 World Championship - After frantic fundraising to get us to the competition, we headed off to Atlanta, GA. Although we didn’t do as well in the competition as we did at the regional due to mechanical difficulties, it was still a once in a lifetime experience to compete there and to see all of the great teams and the innovative designs used to build the robots. It was also fun to compete with teams from other countries, such as Israel and participate in a couple of high scoring matches. Team Blitz learned a lot by going to World’s and we hope to be competing there again!

Colorado Regional Match Results

Colorado Regional Standings

(click on image for larger view)

Competition Videos

QTR2-1 Video (compliments of MorTorq Robotics)

QTR 2-2 Video (compliments of MorTorq Robotics)