Over the weekend, the team built their playing field upstairs at GEARS.

Larry Mullinax built the side panels and other key components, and the team and mentors did the final assembly.

The field is 12 feet square with 12" high side walls, and two puck holders on each side.

The base of the field is a 1/2" thick rubber pad used to give the robots traction.

During the game, two alliances

A robotics and engineering competition will be hosted at Yough Glades Elementary School this Sunday, October 12, from 1:00 PM through 5:00 PM. Teams who enter the event will be challenged to design and build a robotic cable car to race against time along a course forty feet in length. Robots will be based on the NXT LEGO building system All parts will be provided.

Participation is limited to eight teams. Teams may consist of no more than four people and must include one youth 8 to 14 years of age. Registration will be at Yough Glades School on a first come first served basis starting at 1:00 PM on the day of the competition. Teams are encouraged to register on site by 1:30 PM to allow for sufficient time to build and test their robotic cable cars before the start of the actual timed runs.

Robotics Team 1629 will have a robotics exhibit set up at the Board Of Education office downtown prior to, and during, the Autumn Glory Parade.

Drop by and see a demonstration of this year's big-ball hurling machine.

This weekend, the team got it's first look at the Beta hardware for the 2009 control system.

As part of the beta, teams must setup a "bench-test" of the control system. Once that test is complete, teams will load the controller onto a prior year's robot.

Here we see team members doing a final inspection of the controller before powering it up.

Yay... no smoke, and lots of green lights.

In 2009 FIRST is switching to a new control system for their top level Robotics Competition.

To maximize the success of the new hardware and software in 2009, FIRST offered teams the opportunity to help them put the new system through it's paces and identify any isses early, before the season begins.

Team 1629 applied to be included in the Beta-Test program, and cited our proven comittment to getting the most out of our robots when it came to innovative control (winning many control awards, and being included in both FIRST Robotics books)

We should have our FRC Beta hardware by now so we'll be performing the first of our many Beta tasks: Bench test the out-of-the-box hardware and software.

We have a "control tray" setup ready to go. This 24" x 24" plate will contain all the control hadware and interfaces. We'll start by installing all the old and new hardware on the bench, and then once it's been tested, we'll install it on M

This will be GEARS' first ever FTC Kickoff event.

New Team2818 friends and family can come to GEARS and see what the new game has in store for the kids this year.

FIRST Tech Challenge is a "Mid Level" robotics competition for high school age kids. It's played on a 12' x 12' field, and is typically a 2 on 2 competition.

Robots start out under their own control and then the kids take over. Each year the game is different, plus this year the robots will be built with an all new metal construction system.

The Deep Creek Explorer (DCX) is an Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV).

I'm coordinating the project, and working with a bunch of kids to get share ideas, demonstrate the physics of underwater robots and train up some ROV pilots.

I've been working the remote control aspect of the DCX. Previous ROV's that the kids have made used dedicated wires to control each motor. One pair of wire for each motor, and then another wire for video starts to get messy.

Meet at GEARS to watch the LIVE Kickoff WebCast

See speeches, watch video, brainstorm to WIN!!!

Discuss and prepare for Battle 'O Baltimore.