More than Robots

the Challenges


Build, Play & Learn

The Academy participates in FIRST.

FIRST stands for, For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (www.firstinspires.org). Kicking the season off in January each year, FIRST Robotics teams worldwide receive a themed game full of competitive tasks, and have six weeks to design, build, and program a robot for the regional competitions. The top teams from each regional go on to compete at FIRST Championships held in April each year.

2020 Tasks & Competition

In 2020, FIRST Robotics asks 3,000 teams across the US with this problem:

Two alliances work to protect FIRST City from approaching asteroids caused by a distant space skirmish. Each Alliance, along with their trusty droids, race to collect and score Power Cells in order to energize their Shield Generator for maximum protection. To activate stages of the Shield Generator, droids manipulate their Control Panels after scoring a specific number of Power Cells. Near the end of the match, droids race to their Rendezvous Point to get their Shield Generator operational in order to protect the city!

Alliances score points by:

1. Scoring Power Cells in the Power Port

2. Moving from the Initiation Line In the final 2 minutes and 15 seconds of the match, drivers take control of the droids. Alliances score points by:

  • Continue to score Power Cells in the Power Port

  • Completing Rotation Control

  • Completing Position Control

  • Hanging from the Generator Switch

  • Getting the Generator Switch to the level position

The Alliance with the highest score at the end of the Match wins.