You may have some questions, well we are here to answer them as best we can.
If you have any further questions that we haven’t answered feel free to reach out to us on roboroos@roboroos.org.au
Q: What are all these acronyms?
We know that all these acronyms are super confusing and make no sense when you are new to the FIRST competition.
FIRST:
For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology
FLL: FIRST Lego League
FTC: FIRST Tech Challenge
FRC: FIRST Robotics Competition
Q: What is FIRST?
FIRST stands for: For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.
They’re a world wide organisation that prepares young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs for ages 4-18.
FIRST philosophies of Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition through the FIRST Core Values:
Discovery, Innovation, Impact, Inclusion, Teamwork, and Fun.
Q: How old do I need to be to join?
As a rule of thumb: Our FLL teams are for primary school student while our FTC and FRC teams are for secondary students, and RobotX is for people over 18 years old.
Q: I don’t want to build a robot. What else can I do?
The team organises our own events and presentations to sponsors and the public, create videos and interact on social media, design the team shirts each year and run the website. Even before the new year, we’re preparing for the next season.
Q: How much do I need to know about robots?
No prior knowledge is assumed. The goal of FIRST is to teach students about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), so you only need enthusiasm and a strong commitment to learning! Our team also needs students to create videos, organise events and to communicate with members & sponsors.
Q: How much time does it take?
Membership is for 12 months, with training provided throughout the year.
Your involvement depends on your program and role in the team, but we’re very flexible, and we understand that all students have school and other commitments.
The busiest time is the build period for the program. During this period, meetings occur 3-5 times a week (especially for the first few weeks prior to the start of the school year for FRC).
During the off-season (after the competitions), much of the work is media and training related. Meetings will continue to occur weekly on our club night.
We know you can’t always get time off school for the competitions, so attendance is encouraged but not required.
Q: What is the time and effort commitment required of parents?
Meetings, driving, travelling
Just about everyone involved with the team is expected to help somehow but at the end of the day it is up to you.
Time put in can range from checking emails once a week to once a day all the way to being one of our mentors, admin volunteers or event assistance, any help is appreciated.
As our team is a community team, we rely on our parents and community support to continue our programs.
When travelling to competition it is a requirement that each student (under 18) is accompanied by a parent/guardian.
Q: When and where do you compete? How often?
Our teams compete all over with opportunities to compete internationally.
Regional competitions occur yearly in locations/time period depending on the program.
International opportunities occur during April.
Each event goes for 1-3 days depending on the program.
Q: What will the students learn?
A student on our team can learn a variety of skills depending on their program, including:
-Computer aided design (CAD)
-Teamwork
-How to solder, weld, construct
-Public speaking
-Speech writing
-Management skills
-Design (in terms of building a robot)
-Safety in a workplace
-Media
However it is hard to list everything that can be learnt as there is so much involved with being on a FIRST team.
Q: What is the pricing?
These are the current prices for our programs for a 12 month season including the membership fee.
This pricing is subject to change from season to season.
Students participating in more than one program are not required to pay the membership fee more than once.