FIRST Tech Challenge

The FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) is a robotics competition targeted toward middle school and high school-aged students. In Michigan, FTC is specifically targeted at middle school-aged students. It offers the traditional challenge of a FIRST Robotics competition but with a more accessible and affordable robotics kit. The ultimate goal of FTC is to reach more young people with a lower-cost, more accessible opportunity to discover the excitement and rewards of science, technology, engineering and math.

There is a new challenge every year, meaning there are new aspects to the game every season. However, games are always played on a 12' by 12' square/diamond field covered in rubberized floor tiles. The game is played by two alliances (red and blue) of two teams each, for a total of four robots on the field during each match. At the start of a match, the robots cannot exceed 18" in height, width or length, but can expand during play. In each match, there is an autonomous period followed by an operator-controlled period. Depending on the year, the autonomous period can range from 20 to 45 seconds (30 is the most common) and the operator period lasts 2 minutes.

Along with building and programming a robot, FTC teams are required to create an 'Engineering Notebook' that documents their build season and team experience. It helps teams to reflect on positive and negative experiences and how to improve. It also shows the judges at tournaments what the teams have overcome throughout the year.1

Details

 * Teams consist of:
 * Around 8-15 students
 * Mentors with various backgrounds
 * A coach
 * Eligibility:
 * Middle school student
 * Students usually must attend the team's school


 * Schedule:
 * Pre-Season - May through September
 * Challenge Announced - Early September
 * Build Season - September through November
 * Competition Season - Mid November through December

Contact
Contact the individual team you are interested in joining.

Local Teams Active in 2014

 * 5405, Frankfort Middle School SEEDS, Frankfort
 * Coach: Marc Alderman, marcalderman@ecoseeds.org
 * 7672, Kalkaska Middle School SEEDS, Kalkaska
 * Coach: Kara Bontrager, kara@ecoseeds.org
 * 7771, Trinity Lutheran School, Traverse City
 * 7936, The Greenspire School, Traverse City
 * Coach: Tony McGinty, tony.mcGinty@genesyslab.com