The FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC®) (Ages 14 to 18; Grades 9-12)*
Team Demographics
- Young people in grades 9 to 12* Up to 10 students per team
- 2 to 3 Mentors per team * May include 8th grade students 13 and older who are
- prepared to enter a high-school program
Events
- More than 100 qualifiers and Championship tournaments
- U.S., Canada, China, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, Romania, Singapore
- Up to 48 teams per event The Game – 2011/2012
- Design and build a robot robust enough to push a bowling ball uphill, yet articulate enough to pick up racquetballs and place them into crates, then stack the crates
- Multiple solutions with one dominant strategy
- Game play includes autonomous and driver-operated modes
- Program multiple sensors for seeking out magnets and IR signals to aid in navigation during autonomous and driver-operated game play
The Robot
- Starting maximum dimensions: 18″ W x 18″ L x 18″ H
The Robotics Kit
- Professional-quality software options
- 11 motors, 9 sensors, 2 game controllers, wireless communications and metal gears; and all the building materials you need
The Field
- Playing area: approximately 12′ W x 12′ L FTC Awards
- Inspire Award – team that takes on challenges well beyond the program
- Winning Alliance Award – alliance represented in the final match of competition
- Finalist Alliance Award – 3 teams in the final match of competition
- Rockwell Collins Innovate Award – team with the most ingenuity and inventiveness
- PTC Design Award – team with the most compelling industrial design elements
- Connect Award – team most connected to the local and engineering community
- Motivate Award – outstanding team spirit and enthusiasm
- Think Award – team that best manages the engineering design process
