FIRST Robotics Competition Blog

Get Ready for Kickoff 2024!

Dec 12, 2023 Written by Collin Fultz, FIRST Robotics Competition Senior Director

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Before we talk Kickoff, we wanted to let folks know that we found two mistakes in our KitBot shopping list. We apologize to any teams who may have already purchased these items.

  1. We have updated Table 3 to include (4) of the ¼-20 x 1.5 in long hex head bolt (or M6 ~40mm) and (8) of the ¼-20 Locknut (or M6).
  2. The brushed motor controllers that were noted in Table 2 are only needed for teams who have opted out of the Black Tote. Table 2 has been updated to remove that line and Table 7 has been updated to add the line.

 

The Kickoff of CRESCENDOSM presented by Haas is fast approaching! The official broadcast will begin at Noon eastern time on Saturday, January 6, 2024. Just like in prior seasons, there will be some pre-broadcast content so that you can check your connection and audio/video set up. You can tune in via FIRSTtv.

The broadcast will last approximately one hour. The Field Tour Videos will be shown as part of the broadcast and available on the FIRST® Robotics Competition YouTube channel following Kickoff.

CAD files and drawings of the field, drawings of the team version of field items, the Field Tour Videos, and more will be available on the Playing Field Assets page.

Last season, we opted to forgo the pre-Kickoff field shopping list (a list of materials teams could purchase before Kickoff and have on hand once team-versions of field designs are released on Kickoff day) for reasons described in this blog. That decision is sticking for this season too; it allows for better focus on Kickoff material prep and teams aren’t invited to make blind purchases based on what FIRST® thinks they’d want.

We’ve got one more Technology Teaser coming on Wednesday, December 13th at Noon ET! While you wait, check out this special backstage access sneak peek and the rest of the tech teaser series.

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Comments

I hope you guys seriously consider bringing back the VR field like the ones that Automation Direct made in years past. The xRC Simulator is NOT a suitable replacement for it, since that only lets to play the game from the driver station, not walk through the field, inspect the elements, and see how they react with each other. The VR field was invaluable for getting an early look at the field and understanding the scale of things, especially in the absence of having kickoff fields available to teams. Even if your team builds field elements, doing so takes time, which can effectively hold up early-season planning and design.

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