FIRST Robotics Competition Blog

I’m excited to share two new activities available to FIRST^® teams that can help build skills and engage with each other as well as others throughout the community.

RoboCo Sports League

RoboCo Sports League (RSL) on Roblox launched this week! As part of the Roblox Community Fund, FIRST and Filament Games have teamed up to combine the Ethos of FIRST with a sandbox robotics experience that lets players work side-by-side to build virtual robots. 

RSL offers a diverse range of challenges that put users' robotics skills to the test. From the soccer-inspired "RoboCo Polo," to the cooperative task of "Yeet the Sheep" where precision is key, and the agility-demanding "Skatepark Scramble," each experience tasks users with constructing a different robot suited for the task. For those seeking complexity, "Parmesan Pipeline" simulates the intricacies of industrial logistics, while "Boarding Party" requires users to collaborate and build a ramp before time runs out.

To quote our Chief Operating Officer, Chris Rake, “Our hands-on experiences are designed with a focus on civility and working together, and we are excited to bring that collaborative spirit to the millions of users on Roblox through our work with Filament Games. We are thrilled to bring RoboCo Sports League into our community as we bring people together and spread the joy of STEM learning.”

I hope you have fun with this new experience!

Hack Club OnBoard

FIRST has teamed up with Hack Club on a neat way for our participants to learn how to make fully functional electronics with custom Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs). With Hack Club OnBoard, FIRST participants learn circuit design skills, get their projects manufactured and physically shipped to them - all for free through a $100 grant per participant.

The program has everything you need including team meeting sessions to bring your designs to life. Dean Kamen recently noted that “When I have a great idea, I often have to create my own parts to do it. I learned long ago how to create my own printed circuit boards, and you can too with OnBoard.”  And as Steve Wozniak (yeah, that Steve Wozniak) says of Hack Club Onboard, “May your creativity have no limits!” 

As if creating your own functional electronic circuit isn’t cool enough, we have an extra incentive for participation with a limited-edition PCB from FIRST that will be sent to the first 500 people who complete a design!

To get started, check out the Onboard flyer + lesson plan and the grant information page.