The FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC®) stages short games played by robots. The robots are designed and built in six weeks (from a common set of parts) by a team of high-school-aged young people and a handful of engineers-mentors. The students program and remotely control the robots in competition rounds on the field.

Teams are formed in the fall. The annual FIRST Robotics Competition Kickoff in early January starts the six-week “build” season. Competitions take place in March and April. The FIRST Robotics Competition Regional events are typically held in university arenas. They involve 40 to 60 teams cheered by thousands of fans over three days. A championship event caps off the season. Referees oversee the competition. Judges evaluate teams and present awards for design, technology, sportsmanship and commitment to FIRST. The Chairman’s Award is FIRST’s highest honor and recognizes a team that exemplifies the values of FIRST.

Aquidneck Island Robotics fields one FRC team – Team 78, AIR Strike. During the 2011-2012 competition season, AIR Strike will be hard at work in its third year competing in the FRC. The team performs consistently both on and off the playing field and has been a role model to other FRC teams all over the world. For more information on FRC or if you are interested in joining, please contact us.