FIRST Robotics Competition Blog

 

 

In a little over 2 weeks, 600 FIRST^® Robotics Competition teams will load in for the 2024 FIRST^® Championship. More than 250 teams are already registered for the event, and many more will qualify this week.

I. Can’t. Wait!

 

Event Information

We shared a blog post about a month ago with some championship information. Today, we’re excited to share few more updates and reminders. The FIRST Robotics Competition Championship Information webpage has additional information, including floor plans. This webpage will continue to be updated closer to the event with division assignments, pit assignments, and more as information is finalized.

General event information can also be found on the FIRST Championship page and in the FIRST Championship app. You can find the app by searching “FIRST Championship” in your device’s app store. If you downloaded the app for last year’s event, it will update with this year’s info.

 

On-Site Registration

If you choose not to book your event housing with FIRST, all team members (adults and students) are still required to register through the registration system to receive your FIRST Championship On-Site name badges. Badges are required to access the Pits and Playing Fields.

 

Streaming

If you can’t join us at the event, or if you have family, friends, or sponsors who want to tune in back home, all of the FIRST Robotics Competition fields will be streamed on Twitch. Streaming links will be posted to the FIRST Championship website before FIRST Championship.

 

Radios

As we first announced back in January, the 2025 radios are getting an early introduction at this year’s Championship. We have now passed all the necessary decision gates to confirm that we will be using these new radios. Thank you to both Vivid Hosting and WestCoast Products for supporting the use of these radios! We can also share some info about logistics:

• Wiring can be a drop-in replacement for the existing OM5P radio, with the exception of the barrel connector of the OM5P radio being replaced with wire-to-board connectors on the VH-109. Teams are encouraged to review the mounting and wiring recommendations from Vivid Hosting prior to the event.
• Teams will be able to collect a radio, already pre-programmed for their team number, from their division’s Inspection station when it opens at 10:00AM on Wednesday. This radio is yours to keep after the event.
• FTAs and CSAs will have training on the radios prior to the event and will be able to provide assistance with some radio questions.
• Vivid Hosting is providing additional radio experts, 1 for each division field and wireless practice field, that will be assisting with on-field monitoring and troubleshooting.
• Spare radios will be available, with approval by a CSA, FTA, or Vivid expert, from the WCP booth in the Robot Service Center. While we know some teams may be anxious about not having a pre-programmed spare ready to go, the Vivid experts at each field will also have spare radios available, and the ability to configure them, in order to help troubleshoot any issues with a team connecting for their match.

 

Hall of Fame

The Hall of Fame Booth honors previous FIRST Robotics Competition Championship Chairman’s Award Winners (now called the FIRST Impact Award). The FIRST Impact Award represents the spirit of FIRST and remains FIRST Robotics Competition’s most prestigious award.

This year, the Hall of Fame Booth has moved to the 2nd floor as part of the Innovation Faire to allow for more cross-program interactions. The Hall of Fame Booth is open Wednesday – Friday from 10am – 4pm. This is a great opportunity for you to interact with some of the top FIRST Robotics Competition teams and learn what it takes to become a Hall of Fame team!

 

Queuing

Some may have noticed that we updated our FIRST Robotics Competition Championship Information webpage to include a note that we plan to test Nexus this year at FIRST Championship. You can find the full details under Queuing. We do want to highlight that use of the platform is completely optional and teams that choose to opt-in to receive notifications from Nexus are still responsible for making it to their matches on time. Matches will not be postponed or replayed because of a delayed or missed notification from Nexus.

 

Everything Else

There’s so much else going on in addition to the 600 FIRST Robotics Competition teams and the nearly 1,200 matches they’ll play during the event! FIRST^® LEGO^® League Explore will have 40 teams and FIRST^® LEGO^® League Challenge will have 160 teams at the event. FIRST^® Tech Challenge has grown to 224 teams.

There are conferences on the third floor of the George R. Brown Convention Center on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and a full schedule of the sessions will be available on the app.

The Innovation Faire and Scholarship Row will again be on the second floor this year, where you can see the latest technology from some FIRST sponsors, meet with the Hall of Fame teams, and network with colleges and universities who recruit FIRST students.