Fall Event Calendar

Oct 4 - Parametric Technologies software tools seminar
Oct 25 - CompactRIO controller seminar at U of MN WIlley Hall
Nov 11 - mini-regional at Eagan
Dec 6 - MN Splash at U of MN at Anderson Hall
Jan 3 - Kickoff (location not finalized)

Parametric Technologies Seminar

September 4, 2008
Parametric Technologies, a FIRST sponsor and product software development company, has graciously offered to host a one-day seminar on the use of their CAD, project management, and mathematics software package.
Space is limited!
Register now! | Flyer | Map

FIRST At the Fair

August 22, 2008
For all those attending the 2008 “Great Minnesota Get Together,” be sure and make time to visit the Education Building, where Minnesota FIRST teams will be displaying their 2008 competition robots and educating visitors about the programs offered by FIRST and their impact on students interested in science, math, technology and engineering. Two live demonstrations of the robots will take place each day of the fair (which runs from August 21st to September 1st), once at 10 AM and again at 1 PM. The robots will play a modified version of the 2008 game “FIRST Overdrive,” and compete on driving skills.
Team Schedule

“Minnesota Madness” Stirs Up Off-Season Enthusiasm for FIRST Robotics

July 30, 2008
Robots that haven’t seen action since the end of the FIRST Overdrive competitions last spring were hauled out of crates at Eagan High School as several metro-area FIRST Robotics teams came together for an off-season event dubbed “Minnesota Madness.”

Co-hosted by Team 1816-The Green Machine, Edina; Team 2264-The Trojans, Wayzata, and Team 2220-Blue Twilight, Eagan, the teams constructed a playing field on the floor of the Eagan High School cafeteria. Also in attendance were members of Team 2177-The Robettes, Mendota Heights, and Team 2129-Ultraviolet, Minneapolis.

This daylong event, held on July 22, was intended to provide friendly off-season competition. The morning was devoted to trouble-shooting robots and practicing on the field, and the afternoon was filled with two-on-two matches. By end of the day, many team members felt that their adjustments of their robots actually helped their robots run better and provided some much needed experience trouble-shooting and repairing robots.

Edina Robotics Team 1816 would like to thank Team 2264-The Trojans, Wayzata, for their help planning this “mini-regional” event, as well as Team 2220-Blue Twilight, Eagan, for the use of their high school and playing field. The day was a great success and we look forward to holding more such events in the coming year!

The Fighting Calculators Recap an Exciting Year

July 14, 2008
In continuing with this site’s tradition of highlighting media promotions put forth by Minnesota FRC teams, we bring you the latest production by Woodbury’s Team 2175-The Fighting Calculators. In their ’08 Season Recap Video, this informative piece gives viewers a detailed review of the intense six-week build and subsequent competition season through the usage of a staggering amount of photos, as well as videos, of their robot in action. Indeed, before it concludes, the seven minute long promotion takes the viewer from the start of the build season and first testing of the robot, all the way through the 2008 Minnesota Regional. For teams saearching for great examples of team-created media, look no further than this piece.
Watch the Video...

The Other FIRST Programs

June 25, 2008
With all the attention that FIRST Robotics Competition Program receives, it is sometimes easy to forget about the other amazing programs offered by FIRST. For those looking to learn more about FIRST Junior Lego League, FIRST Lego League and FIRST Tech Challenge programs, the following links are an excellent place to start.
FIRST Lego Leagues primarily caters to students in elementary and middle school grades, and is a good introduction to creative problem solving through a platform that combines Lego fun and real-world application. Visit FIRST’s site detailing the program.
For those who want more Lego League information specific to Minnesota, check out the website for High Tech Kids, the program’s local in-state organizers.
For students in later middle school grades and high school, check out FIRST’s webpage for some great info on the FIRST Tech Challenge, a program designed to provide a similar challenge to FRC yet wrapped in a more accessible package.

Join the Minnesota Regional Forum!

June 1, 2008
The Minnesota FIRST Regional Web team is pleased to announce that the Minnesota FIRST Forum is now online and operational! We invite you to use this resource to share ideas, gather feedback, and ask questions of the Minnesota FIRST community. This forum is designed to provide a more regionally based experience than other FIRST forums. A calendar to keep track of any and all regional FIRST events is also present. Registration for the forum is easy, just click the “register” link in the top left corner of the main forum webpage and follow the instructions. Once you are registered on the forum, you may add your team’s events to the calendar. We hope to see everyone on the forums soon!
Go to the Forum...

WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL FIRST MINNESOTA REGIONAL WEBSITE!

Attention Teams!

If you have any photos from Minnesota FIRST events, such as Kickoff, Splash, the Scrimmage at Simley, the Regional, and would like to share them, please register for an account on the photo gallery. When registering, please put your team number as your username. Be aware that you will get an error page and not be able to log in immediately and post photos for security reasons. Registration confirmation will happen after a day or two, and you will be free to upload your photos after that.

FIRST Overdrive, this year’s game challenge, is based on the simple concept of robots racing around a 27’ x 54’ carpeted circular track. For every lap around the track each member of a three-team alliance completes, points will be added to that team’s score. Complicating matters are the four, 40-inch diameter, almost eight-pound inflatable “Trackballs” that start the match elevated 78 inches above the field on girders (the Overpass). These Trackballs can be knocked off their starting position on the Overpass, pushed around the field, and then lifted or hurdled back over the Overpass for eight points or rolled underneath for two points. Alliances that have their Trackballs firmly on the Overpass at the end of the game. The Trackballs’ inclusion in Overdrive certainly makes things a lot more interesting for teams and their robots.

Further complicating matters this year is the introduction of a new control scheme, called supervised autonomy. Replacing the true autonomous mode of previous years’ competitions, this fifteen-second “hybrid” period allows teams to either use a purely autonomous approach or mix in several preprogrammed routines that allow remote control of the robot during the phase. This hybrid period is followed by a two-minute, tele-controlled period, during which human players drive the robot using joysticks or other controllers.