FIRST

      In 1992, Dean Kamen founded FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). His vision was "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." He wanted to create an exciting competitive environmetn for students interested in science and technology that is very similar to a state sporting event. High school teams are given the task to design and build a robot to perform a complex task. The one difference between an athletic competition and a FIRST competition is that individual robotic teams align themselves with other teams for the competition. There are 1746 FRC teams competing worldwide this year. Find more info about the FIRST Robotics organization at their website.

2008 FIRST Robotics Competition
Over 1,500 teams
Over 37,000 high-school students
From Brazil, Canada, Chile, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands, the U.K., and every state in the U.S.
41 Regional events in Brazil, Canada, Israel, U.S.
FIRST Robotics Competition Championship at the FIRST Championship in Atlanta, GA, April 17-19, 2008
Robots are built in 6 weeks from a common kit of parts provided by FIRST, and weigh up to 120 lbs. (excluding battery and bumpers)

Mission
FIRST’s mission is to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication and leadership.