Age Range: 14-18
Registration Opens:
May – December
Challenge Release:
First weekend in January
Event / Tournament Season:
February – April
Team Registration Fees:
$6,000 (new teams)
$5,000 (existing teams)

Resources

• FIRST FRC Website
• FIRST FRC Blog
• Chief Delphi – unofficial FRC Forums

FRC Vendors & Suppliers

• Andymark
• VEXPRO
• West Coast Products
• REV Robotics
• Cross the Road Electronics
• The Thrifty Bot

Starting a FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Team

FIRST Robotics Competition is an exciting, fast paced program for high school age students. FRC has a very short build season of between 8-10 weeks that kicks off on the first weekend every January. Teams receive a kit of parts with some basic materials to get started, but will need to buy additional supplies to complete their robot. Teams have considerable flexibility in materials and parts, more information can be found in the game manual.

“FIRST Robotics Competition is the Superbowl of Smarts”

Things You Will Need

• A place to work – it can be as small as a garage or a full workshop. If possible, it is best to have an area where you can practice driving the robot and setup the game elements for testing.
• Tools and Equipment – teams that are starting out typically use hand tools like hack saws, drills, and wrenches. As the team grows, typically the group will acquire 3D printers, laser cutters, mills, lathes, routes, and so on. More advanced tooling opens up the possibilities for custom designs, but aren’t necessarily needed early on.
• Mentors – teams benefit from both technical and non-technical adults that can oversee and assist as needed. This ranges from logistics (travel, fund-raising, safety) to training on tooling, purchasing, and so forth. Adults are allowed to help teams, with the end goal of having the students learn the skills they need for the future. Technical mentors work alongside the team members, assisting where needed and as much as the team’s philosophy expects.
• Funding – The cost of the season for FRC is $6,000 for rookie teams and $5,000 for existing teams. Rookie teams receive a full control system with their new kit, which is why it is more expensive. The registration includes the physical and virtual kit of parts and access to two district events.
• Students – FRC teams have no limit as to how many members they can have. Small teams range from 5-10 kids, while large teams may be 100 or more. FRC teams must manage so many skillsets among different team members. FRC is about more than robotics, as students will be engaging in entrepreneurship, outreach, mentoring, team branding and design, team infrastructure, special projects, offseason events, and many other challenges.