Have you ever wanted to meet the members of The Green Machine? Or are you interested to see what a FIRSTRobotics team does? We have the perfect event for you! It’s called SPARK: Sponsors, Parents, Appreciation, Recognition, and Kudos! This year’s community open house, SPARK Day, is taking place on Saturday January 30th, from 12 PM to 2 PM. This is the perfect opportunity to come ask question about FIRST, our robot –in – process, Zazu, and this year’s game “Breakaway.”
“Breakaway” is closely related to soccer, in that alliances of three robots apiece will try to score by kicking or pushing soccer balls into goals on either end of the field. But this is only one of the challenges of this game. In “Breakaway” there are two 13-1/4” speed bumps that go across the field width-wise, dividing the field into three parts. Robots will have to be perfectly balanced and able to navigate the 48-degree angle of the incline to make it to the next third of the field – and still be upright.
FIRST was founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen, a prominent American inventor, to help rejuvenate the next generation’s interest in science and technology. As Dean Kamen put it “To transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology heroes.” FIRSTis a worldwide organization with teams for kids of all ages! This season, there are more than 45,000 high school students and 1,800 teams from 12 countries.
We’d like to thank all of our parents, mentors, corporate sponsors, school administration and faculty, and we’d like you to personally see what you’re helping FRC Team 1816 accomplish. SPARK Day is the perfect time to meet with and ask questions, whether its of our team’s programmers, the members using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) to “build” our robot before we cut aluminum, members from the build team or members working in media and animation.
Please enter via the main entrance of Valley View Middle School, 6750 Valley View Road. Team members will be waiting to take you on a guided tour of our facilities. If you plan on coming please RSVP here. Thanks for your support, and we’ll see you there!