WARWICK – Teams from more than 30 high schools across the state took part in the annual For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Tech Challenge yesterday, at New England Institute of Technology’s Automotive Building, building robots to achieve specific tasks.
This year’s Tech Challenge game, “Quad Quandry,” matches pairs of two-team alliances against one another, with each alliance competing to place colored rings in specified goal areas or on posts. Once rings are placed on posts, they may not be removed.
Top honors in the Rhode Island competition went to Burrillville High, Tiverton High and a team from The Met School in Providence, which fielded two. The Tiverton team also was honored with the Innovate Award.
The three winning teams will advance to next month’s international competition in Atlanta.
Also awarded yesterday were:
• The Amaze Award, to Mount Pleasant High School
• The Connect Award, to Cumberland High
• The Motivate Award, to Beacon Charter School
• The Think Award, to Smithfield High
The FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) is a mid-level robotics competition for high school students. An outgrowth of the existing FIRST Robotics Competition – along with the FIRST Lego League and Junior Lego League for younger students – it embraces a similar concept but with a simpler and more-affordable robotics kit.
All four robotics challenges are programs of the Manchester, N.H.-based For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a nonprofit founded in 1989 to inspire interest and participation in science, technology and engineering.
Besides New England Institute of Technology (NEIT), local sponsors include the Business Innovation Factory (BIF), The R.I. Economic Development Corporation (EDC), the R.I. Science & Technology Advisory Council (STAC) and the Tech Collective.
More information about the FIRST Tech Challenge, including a full list of teams that participated in this year’s event, is available at www.OceanStateRobotics.com. Additional information about For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) and its robotics contests – the FIRST Robotics Competition, FIRST Tech Challenge, FIRST Lego League and FIRST Junior Lego League – is available at www.USFirst.org.
