FIRST Tech Challenge

 

FIRST Tech Challenge is an international robotics competition that heavily relies on teamwork and the learning & applying of STEM related skills. Much like its more famous counterpart, FRC, FIRST Tech Challenge puts pairs of teams and their robots against others in a game-oriented competition. During a ten-week building period teams of 7th-12th grade students will brainstorm, strategize, design, construct and test their robots to prepare for competition. However, FTC differs from FRC in that not only will teams be faced with the challenge of creating a working robot, but they will need to create an Engineering Notebook; a portfolio describing their design process, safety procedures, challenges faced, etc. One of the most prominent challenges of the Engineering Notebook is that students must “market” their robots to the judges, simulating how big corporations must market their products.