All systems are go! On Saturday, Jan. 5, FRC Team 1816-The Green Machine hosted a joint Kickoff and viewing party event with FRC teams 7019 – TechNoLogic (Edina, MN) and 2239 – Technocrats (Hopkins, MN) to view the 2019 season game launch video and livestream. The 2019 FRC challenge, Destination: Deep Space, employs rubber dodgeballs (cargo) and circular plates (hatches) to help teams score points in order to win.
FIRST released the 2019 Game Manual at 10:30 am CT, and the three Twin Cities-based teams joined more than 3500 FRC teams worldwide in reading and re
viewing the new rules for the game challenge.
FIRST described the game as follows:
“In DESTINATION: DEEP SPACE, Presented By The Boeing Company, we join two competing ALLIANCES collecting samples on Planet Primus. Unpredictable terrain and weather patterns make remote ROBOT operation essential to their mission on the planet. With only 2:30 until liftoff, the ALLIANCES must gather as many CARGO pods as possible and prepare their spaceships before the next SANDSTORM arrives.
“T-minus 2:30: A SANDSTORM limits DRIVER visibility so ROBOTS independently follow pre- programmed instructions or are operated by human DRIVERS via video from their stations. ALLIANCES score points by:
- Deploying ROBOTS from Habitat (HAB)
- Preparing ROCKETS and CARGO SHIP with HATCH PANELS
- Loading CARGO pods into their ROCKETS and CARGO SHIP
T-minus 2:15: The SANDSTORM clears, and human operators take control of their ROBOTS. ALLIANCES continue to score points by:
- Preparing ROCKETS and CARGO SHIP with HATCH PANELS
- Loading more CARGO pods
- Returning the ROBOT safely to the ALLIANCE’s HAB
0:00: ROCKET liftoff
The ALLIANCE with the highest score at the end of the MATCH wins.
The teams were given 1 hour to review the official Game Manual, the teams broke out into small groups to brainstorm possible robot designs. “The game will be really interesting this year,” Parker B., 1816’s Build Lead, said. “I’m excited to see all of the robot designs.”
Team 1816’s robot-in-process will be on display on Saturday, February 9, in the team’s robot-build workshops at Edina High School. Also in February, a full-range of team memorabilia and robot-related gear will be on display at the Edina Public Library. The team looks forward to attending two regional competitions: The Lake Superior Regional in Duluth, MN, and the North Star Regional in Minneapolis. 1816 wishes all FRC teams good luck this year for Destination: Deep Space!
— By Simone V.