Gentlemen and women start your engineering! Some 200 students from 20 teams throughout the Western United States gathered Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014 at Hillcrest High for the 2014 FIRST Robotics Competition Kickoff one of several hundred similar events that took place all over the world that day. The Kickoff was an opportunity for teams from all over the world to come together to share in the excitement of seeing the new game unveiled. Participating Canyons’ teams are from Alta, Brighton, Corner Canyon and Hillcrest high schools.
This year’s game is “Arial Assist.” Teams have six weeks to create robots that can launch giant balls into goals. Teams earn points by scoring as many balls in goals as possible during a 2½-minute match, by having robots work together to score goals, by throwing and catching balls over a truss suspended just over five feet above the floor as they move the ball down the field. Last year, teams created robots that could launch Frisbees. At the Kickoff, teams received kits containing parts they’ll use to begin constructing their robots. The teams will unveil their robots at the regional contest, scheduled for March 13-15 at the Maverik Center.
Last year, Hillcrest won Rookie of the Year honors and advanced to the world competition.