competitions
first
For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology
The FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an exciting program that assimilates teams, sponsors, colleges and technical professionals with high school students to develop their solution to a prescribed engineering challenge in a competitive game environment. The competitions combine the practical application of science and technology with the fun, intense energy and excitement of a championship - sporting event. The program results in life-changing, careermolding experiences for its participants and is also great fun.
Every year a new game is released. Teams build a robot that can play the game in the most efficient and effective way, learning leadership, team work and communication skills along the way. Students work together as part of an elite international program, with thousands of teams competing around the world. Macquarie University, MIT, and Yale offer students preferred entry as the thousands of hours a student applies to the FIRST Robotics Challenge over their high school career is akin to an Olympic athlete training at the highest levels of their sport.
2017
FIRST Steamworks
2017 Game Reveal
2017 Robot Reveal
FIRST Steamworks is played by two competing Alliances of three Robots each on a flat 27’ x 54’ foot field. The aim of the game is to prepare their alliance's airship for a long distance race by building steam pressure using particles, delivering gears to start rotors and climb aboard! The teams have to build steam pressure by collecting fuel represented by green balls. They score it in high and low goals in their boiler. As fuel is scored steam pressure in the tank on the alliance’s airship builds – the high goal builds pressure faster than the low goal. Robots also retrieve and deliver gears to pilots on their airship who then install them on the appropriate rotor. Once
a gear train is complete the rotor can be started. Finally, the robots will have to climb aboard the airship to assist the pilots during the race.
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The objective is to score as many balls in goals and deliver as many gears as possible during a 2 minute 30 second period. The more Alliances score their ball in their goals and deliver gears to the pilots, the more points their alliance receives. The match begins with one 15-second Autonomous Period in which robots operate independently of driver. Each robot may begin with either 10 balls or one gear to attempt to cross a certain point, score a goal or deliver a gear. Alliances earn points for doing each of the actions stated. For the next 2 minutes and 15 seconds, drivers remotely control robots from behind a protective wall. They aim to collect balls and score in high and low goals as well as deliver gears to pilots aboard the airship. During the last 30 seconds of the match, known as the 'endgame', robots may attempt to climb aboard the airship by hanging on a rope and climbing it to press the button. The alliance with the most points accumulated at the end of the match wins the game.
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We competed at the inaugural Shenzhen regional coming first and winning the Engineering Inspiration Award. At the Southern Cross regional we won the competition as well as an Excellence in Engineering Award. We also won the South Pacific regional along with another Excellence in Engineering award. We competed in New York for the first time, winning the competition and the Chairman's Award before heading to the Houston Championships and being finalists in the Hopper division. We won the Innovation in Control Award at the Championships.
We are grateful to have had a stellar season consisting of 6 blue banners, 4 regional wins out of four regionals attended, on three different continents, an Engineering Inspiration Award, an Innovation in Control Award, two Excellence in Engineering Awards, a division finalist at Championships and the Chairman's Award. Well done to all our team members and teams who participated in FIRST Steamworks!
2016
FIRST Stronghold
2016 Game Reveal
2016 Robot Reveal
FIRST Stronghold is played by two competing Alliances of three Robots each on a flat 25’ x 54’ foot field. There is a tower over 7 feet high which stand at either end of the playing field. Between them are obstacles known as the ‘outer works’. Robots have to cross these obstacles in order to enter the opponent’s defensive third (the team’s attacking third).
The objective is to score as many balls in goals as possible during a 2 minute 30 second match. The more Alliances score their ball in their goals, and the more they work together to do it, the more points their alliance receives. The match begins with one 15-second Autonomous Period in which robots operate independently of driver. Each robot may begin with a ball and attempt to either reach a defence part of the outer works, cross it, or cross it and score a goal. Alliances earn bonus points for scoring balls, or if their robot can either reach or cross an obstacle. For the next 2 minutes and 15 seconds, drivers remotely control robots from behind a protective wall. The game operates as the teams attacking the opponent’s tower while defending their own. The last 30 seconds of the match is called the ‘endgame’. During this time, robots have to race to the opponent’s tower to gain points. A robot may attempt to climb the tower, earning even more points. If all the robots in an alliance has either climbed the tower or is at the base of it, the alliance earns either 20 points or 1 ranking point. The alliance with the most points at the end of the game wins the match.
The Barker Redbacks competed extremely well. The team won the Australian Regional, being the ticket to the last World Championship in St Louis. The team also came 2nd at Calgary and won the Duel Down Under competition in Sydney in July.
2015
Recycle Rush
2015 Game Reveal
2015 Robot Reveal
Recycle Rush is a recycling-themed game designed for the 2015 FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC). It is played by two Alliances of three Teams each. Alliances compete simultaneously to score points by stacking totes on scoring platforms, capping those stacks with recycling containers, and properly disposing of litter, represented by pool noodles, in designated locations. In keeping with the recycling theme of the game, all scoring elements used are reusable or recyclable by teams in their home locations or by FIRST at the end of the season. The 27 ft. by 54 ft. playing field is bisected by a small step which may not be climbed on or crossed by Robots. Thus each Alliance competes on their respective 26 ft. by 27 ft. side of the field. Each match begins with a 15 second autonomous period in which robots operate independently of their drivers. During this period, robots attempt to move themselves, their yellow totes, and their recycling containers into the area between the scoring platforms, called the Auto Zone. Additional points are awarded if the yellow totes are arranged in a single stack.
During the remaining 2 minutes and 15 seconds of the Match, called the Tele-Op Period, robots are controlled remotely by student drivers located behind the walls at the ends of the field. Teams on an Alliance work together to place as many totes on their scoring platforms as possible. Alliances earn additional points for recycling containers placed on the scored totes, with recycling containers at greater heights earning more points. Alliances also earn points for disposing of their litter in either their landfill zone (the area next to the step marked by the white line) or placing litter in or on scored recycling containers. Alliances that unscored leave litter on their side of the Field at the end of the match add points to the score of the other Alliance, as it is considered unprocessed and not properly disposed of.
Team 4613 did very well in the Australian Regional. The team were regional finalists. Although we placed second in the finals, we received a place in the World Championship in St Louis for being the finalist captain. 4613 also won the Innovation in Control award.
2014 Game Reveal
2014
Aerial Assist
Aerial Assist is played by two competing Alliances of three robots each on a flat 25’ x 54’ foot field, straddled by a lighting truss suspended just over five feet above the floor.
The objective is to score as many balls in goals as possible during a 2 minute and 30 second match. The more Alliances score their ball in their goals, and the more they work together to do it, the more points their alliance receives. The match begins with one 10 second autonomous period in which robots operate independently of driver. Each robot may begin with a ball and attempt to score it in a goal. Alliances earn bonus points for scoring balls in this mode and for any of their robots that move in to their zones. Additionally, each high/low pair of goals will be designated “hot” for five seconds, but the order of which side is first is randomized. For each ball scored in a “hot” goal, the Alliance earns additional bonus points. For the rest of the match, drivers remotely control robots from behind a protective wall. Once all balls in autonomous are scored, only one ball is re-entered in to play, and the Alliances must cycle a single ball as many times as possible for the remainder of the match. With the single ball, they try to maximize their points earned by throwing balls over the truss, catching balls launched over the truss, and scoring in the high and low goals on the far side of the field. Alliances receive large bonuses “assists,” which are earned for each robot that has possession of the ball in a zone as the ball moves down the field.
Team 4613 did extremely well in Aerial Assist, being the captain of the winning alliance. We also received the award for Excellence in Robot Design.
2013 Game Reveal
Ultimate Ascent
2013
Ultimate Ascent is played by two competing alliances on a flat, 27 x 54 ft field. Each alliance consists of three robots. They compete to score as many discs into their goals as they can during a 2 minute and 15 second match. The higher the goal in which the disc is scored, the more points the alliance receives. The match begins with a 15 second autonomous period in which robots operate independently of driver inputs. Discs scored during this period are worth extra points. For the remainder of the match, drivers control robots and try to maximise their alliance score by scoring as many goals as possible. The match ends with robots attempting to climb on pyramids located near the middle of the field. The robot earns points based on how high it climbs.
This was the first year Team 4613 had participated in the FIRST Robotics Competition. It was a great success and the team was awarded the Gracious Professionalism award.
