The last week of April was a competitive one for Vulcan Spring and Team 1218, SCH Vulcan Robotics, as they competed at the FIRST Robotics competition at the Cobo Center and Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The four-day event presented by Qualcomm Inc., celebrated science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills and included more than 17,000 participating students from ages 6-18, as well as 43,000 attendees.
Vulcan Spring has sponsored teams and donated products to the FIRST Robotics Competition, which combines sports excitement with the rigors of science and technology, and to the Vulcan Robotics Team 1218, since 2007. This year, Vulcan Robotics was part of the Championship-Winning Alliance, for its successful completion of this year’s challenge.
“We’re incredibly proud of Vulcan Robotics for their awesome demonstration of teamwork and STEM skills,” said Scott Rankin, Visionary & President of Vulcan Spring. “The competition isn’t easy and it’s inspiring to watch these students put critical thinking to the test to plan, invent and produce a functioning winning robot.”
The challenge, presented by The Boeing Company, was titled Destination: Deep Space. It required teams to fundraise, design a brand, exercise teamwork and build and program robots to compete in a game that included autonomous and driver-operated periods. It challenged two competing alliances to collect samples on planet Primus. With only two-and-a-half minutes until liftoff, the alliances needed to gather as much cargo as possible and prepare their spaceships for liftoff before the next sandstorm arrived.
“At Vulcan Spring, we’re committed to fostering the development of these aspiring engineers because we understand how important it is to combine our knowledge with the fresh perspectives of today’s students if we want to ensure innovation and future growth,” said Scott. “Congratulations to all of the participating and winning teams.”
FIRST is a non-profit organization founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen. FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) inspires innovation and leadership in young people through engaging, team-based robotics challenges.
For more information about our involvement with FIRST Robotics, contact us.
