Robotics Teams Get Competition Details Saturday

CLEMSON, SC – December 30, 2008 — Teams participating in the sixth annual FIRST Robotics Competition Palmetto Regional at Clemson University receive their marching orders for the competition at a kickoff event from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 3, at the Madren Center BellSouth Auditorium. More than 100 students and representatives from across the state and region are expected to attend.

A live Webcast from FIRST headquarters in New Hampshire will announce this year’s game. At approximately 11 a.m. kits with parts will be handed out with the specific assignment to build a robot no heavier than 120 pounds that can complete a task in a specified amount of time. The teams have six weeks to design and assemble their robots and ship them back to FIRST for the regional competition to be held March 26-28 at Littlejohn Coliseum.

It is the second year Clemson will host the event that attracts up to 1,000 local and regional high school students who vie for top honors in a highly competitive and action-packed contest, described as a rock concert and sporting event “for the mind” rolled into one.

More than 35,000 high school students participate on more than 1,600 teams in regional events in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands and England. The regional events will lead to an international championship competition in April at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

For more information on the competition, go to the FIRST website at: www.usfirst.org, FIRST Robotics Competition or http://www.ces.clemson.edu/main/FRC/index.html