36 teams apply engineering at Batavia FTC Qualifier
Thirty-six teams with their custom built robots will be coming Saturday, Jan. 30, for the Batavia FTC Qualifier.
Congressman Randy Hultgren, District 14, will be on hand to help with opening ceremonies from 10:15 to10:40 a.m. Hultgren is a member of the Science, Space and Technology Committee and is a co-chair of the STEM Caucus.
Designed for students in the age group 14-18, the Batavia FTC State Qualifier is a small team robotics program that requires kids to build a robot using hybrid metal and electronics systems. It begins with the release of the annual game at the beginning of September. Teams of students will design, build, program, test and troubleshoot a robot to perform the tasks of the game.
"FIRST RES-Q" is played on a 12-by-12-foot square field with approximately one-foot high walls and a soft foam mat floor. Mountains consisting of alliance-specific climbing areas and goals are located in two corners of the playing field.
Alliance-designated zip lines extend from the top of the "mountains" to the playing field wall. Two alliance-specific "rescue beacons" in need of "repair" by autonomous robots are located on the playing field perimeter wall.
Scoring elements are 14 "climber" figurines and 80 "debris" in the shape of blocks and spheres. At the start of a match, "debris" is randomly located throughout the playing field floor. Each team starts with up to two "climbers" that can be preloaded onto their robot.
Two randomly selected teams are paired together as an alliance to play one match against a second alliance. Alliances are designated as either "red" or "blue." Matches have two distinct periods of play: a 30-second autonomous period, followed by a two-minute driver-controlled period, which includes a 30-second end game.
Robots gain points by "resetting" rescue beacons, delivering "climbers" to a shelter, parking on the "mountain," parking in the Rescue Beacon Repair Zone or Floor Goal, scoring debris in the goals, and hanging at the end of the game from the mountain.
The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 30, at Rotolo Middle School, 1501 S. Raddant Road, Batavia. It is open to the public with free admission.
Batavia Robotics is a nonprofit organization that has been around the area since 2002. In 2007, to offer the program and incorporate kids from multiple communities, the name of Fox Valley Robotics was added. Today, more than 200 kids participate in three divisions of robotics.
The LegoWolves Division is for the first- to third-graders, the LegoDogs Division is for fourth- to eighth-graders, and the Coyotes Division is for eighth- to 12th-graders.
For details, visit www.bataviarobotics.com or www.foxvalleyrobotics.com.