FIRST Robotics Competition Blog

I hope everyone had a fantastic FIRST Robotics Competition Kickoff! We’re so excited to finally get this season officially started and see what you come up with to address the at-home challenges.

ICYMI, check out the recording of Kickoff and other great videos here.

Some important reminders are below.

Q&A

The FRC Q&A system opens on January 13th at Noon Eastern Time. You can find it here. Use the Q&A system to get official answers to the 2021 season rules. Please keep in mind that while we did release the 2021 in-person game rules, our focus is on the at-home challenges, as those competitions will be taking place regardless of the way in which the pandemic develops.

INFINITE RECHARGE at Home

Please remember that you can participate in the INFINITE RECHARGE at Home challenge even if you don’t have access to your robot! This challenge consists of two independent parts: a skills competition and a presentation of your robot to Judges. You can present your robot to the Judges in any way your wish – CAD, sketches, even a video from 2020 if you feel that’s applicable. The Judges will only be considering your submission and whatever you present during the interview in their deliberations.

Team Updates

Team updates start Tuesday, January 12. New this year, those of you 18 years old or older can subscribe to Team Updates by going here, scrolling down to the Team Updates section and pressing the subscribe button. You will then be notified shortly after a Team Update is released.

Beyond the Bots – FIRST Game Design Show

Check out the first episode of Beyond the Bots on FIRSTtv, this Saturday, on January 16 at Noon Eastern Time where FIRST Game Designers will be pulling back the curtain on how we approach Game Design! During the show, teams will hear from Game Designers from FIRST® LEGO® League, FIRST® Tech Challenge, and FIRST Robotics Competition to get a never-before-revealed look at the evolution of Game Design over the last 30+ years. At the end of the show, teams will have a chance to submit questions during an "ask me almost anything" segment. For all of you planning to submit for the Game Design Challenge this year, you should check this show out!

Translated Documentation

If you are looking for translated documentation, check here. While the English version of the documentation is the official version, this year we are presenting it in Chinese, French, Spanish, and Turkish as a reference for our teams.

Frank