OSU hosts 2022 FIRST Robotics kickoff

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Media Contact: Jeff Hopper | Marketing Media Specialist | 405-744-2745 | jeff.hopper@okstate.edu

On Jan. 8, the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology (CEAT) at Oklahoma State University hosted more than 150 high school students for the 2022 FIRST Robotics Kickoff announcing the “Rapid React” competition presented by The Boeing Company.  

CEAT has a long-standing history with the FIRST robotics program, having hosted kickoff events since 2008, with the 2013 kickoff holding a record — at the time — for the largest kickoff representing 43 teams. 

The kickoff began with a live webcast from FIRST headquarters checking in with a few of the 38 countries competing in this year's competition. The livestream was followed with teams receiving the official “FIRST kit of parts,” which includes physical and digital components from industry partners to assist in this year's challenge. 

Teams spent the remainder of the afternoon attending a robot quick build hosted at OSU ENDEAVOR labs. Teams worked in several different areas with the goal of completing a controller-driven robot chassis in under four hours. Mentors from local FIRST robotics competition (FRC) teams led the training sessions. 

Jonathan Powers — a CEAT lab coordinator, FIRST mentor and member of the FRC Team 1750 Thunderstorm Robotics — said the program is all about the hard work teams put in.

“For most teams, it’s what you put into it,” Powers said. “If you have a good group of students willing to fundraise and get more financial support, you can get more equipment and build better robots. It really takes a corporate ecosystem to run one of these teams. So even soft skills and non-engineering majors will get a lot out of this program.”       

Teams will now use the next eight weeks to develop and build a robot to compete in this year's game “Rapid React,” which is presented by America’s biggest manufacturer exporter, The Boeing Company. The robot game will consist of two competing alliances processing cargo for transportation. Each alliance is responsible for retrieving their cargo, team colored balls, and scoring it into the hub — a centralized receptacle designed to house the cargo. The match will conclude with alliance robots racing to engage with their hangar for transport. 

“I like to say the competition is one quarter of the year and it takes the other three quarters to get the rest of it done,” Powers said. “It’s just like any project or any research at a university. Putting in the work and improving your skills in order to stay ahead in your field, or in our case, on the field. FIRST Robotics is more than just a robot, it’s about building well-rounded students with the tools to solve real-world problems.”

Regional events for the 2022 FRC season will occur during March and April. OSU and the OSU Foundation have sponsored the two regional competitions being held in Oklahoma. The “Oklahoma Regional” will be held March 9-12 at the Firelake Arena Event Center in Shawnee, and the “Green Country Regional” will be held April 6-9 at the Expo Square Pavilion in Tulsa. 

Powers said being a FIRST robotics mentor has taught him more than just STEM skills over the years.

“It’s been a learning process throughout the years for me, all the way from being a high school student and not knowing much about the back end stuff,” Powers said. “We were the only team in the state, now there’s close to 40 teams. I have spoken to a lot of schools and learned some public speaking along the way. It's really done a lot for me and how far I’ve taken it. It can be anything you need it to be for any person. There’s people that are openly willing to help you and teach you.

"It’s all about learning and growth. I really enjoy that aspect of it more than anything, just leaving your ego at the door and learning something.” 

People working in any industry can become a part of the FIRST program by judging or volunteering. Anyone interested in becoming involved in FRC can access the volunteer registration here: https://www.firstinspires.org/ways-to-help/volunteer/how-to-register?hsCtaTracking=4ed829f0-bfa9-4ba8-ad1a-7e3a471f7471%7C921f31dd-192e-466f-935c-1a284382f43b

Story By: Bailey Sisk | basisk@ostatemail.okstate.edu