Give them a pile of parts, some software and computers, and let them build a robot.
That in a nutshell is the FIRST Competition, a nationwide program put together by General Motors that’s meant to fire up the imaginations of kids and advance the learning of math, science and engineering in our schools.
And these are no ordinary robots. Kids as young as six- to eight-years-old start with a Lego robotics program and build a computer-controlled robot that prowls a 4-foot by 8-foot field performing up to 18 tasks, says Tim Grewe, GM’s Electrification chief engineer and director of the FIRST program at GM.
“As the kids move up to the high school level,” Grewe says, “the robots get a lot stronger and a lot bigger—120 pounds—and they do different tasks and compete against other teams.”
This year, for example, the top level robots were required to pick up frisbees, sort them and hit targets as far away as 60 feet.
The FIRST program is supported by a wide range of companies including 3M, Boeing, Rockwell Automation, Microsoft, FedEX, Motorola and others. The 2012-2013 FIRST season attracted more than 300,000 kids and 120,000 mentors, coaches and volunteers from some 70 countries.
