Current Issue

Business Notes
(Issue 15, 2009)

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11-15-2009 --- FORSYTH ALLIANCE EXPANDS
ROBOTICS REACH

The 2008-2009 season for the AutomationDirect-sponsored Forsyth Alliance FIRST Robotics group saw changes and challenges, highs and lows, and major milestones in the growth and reach of the organization. The Alliance fielded an FRC Robotics team, again conducted a successful First Lego League State Qualifier, and ultimately influenced Forsyth County, Georgia’s high school curriculum.

The FIRST Championship game last season took its inspiration from the celebration of the 40th year of the lunar landing by Apollo 11. Dubbed “Lunacy”, this year’s game involved robots driving on a very slick surface to simulate driving on ice, while towing a trailer. Each alliance of three teams tried to score balls in the opposing alliance’s trailers while trying to avoid being scored on. In addition, human players tried to score for the team by throwing balls into the moving robots’ trailers.

At the Peachtree Regional in March, the Forsyth Alliance went undefeated in the qualification rounds and were ranked the #1 seed at the entire tournament. Unfortunately, three breakdowns in a row in the finals took them out of contention as the Regional’s winning alliance. The team brought home multiple honors - the AutoDesk Visualization Award, Delphi’s “Driving Tomorrow’s Technology” Award, and Outstanding Volunteer Award for Rick Folea, the team mentor. As part of a presentation the team gave to a panel of judges for the “Chairman’s Award”, a video offered a fun visual overview of the Forsyth Alliance and its role in not only the FIRST organization but in the community.

After the Peachtree event, the robot was shipped directly to South Carolina for the Palmetto Regional, and in transit was crushed by a container of steel sprockets; the controller and other parts had to be replaced in order to compete at the Clemson-hosted event. (Figure 1) The FIRST organization responded and helped make the quick repair possible.

Figure 1, Crushed Otto

At the Palmetto Regional, the Forsyth Alliance won five of nine matches, finishing as the 18th ranked seed at a very tough regional. The team was chosen for the quarter finals, but again lost at that level. The team claimed the Imagery Award at this regional.

The Forsyth Alliance participated in the World Championship in April, which hosted almost 350 teams from over 20 countries. (Figure 2)

Figure 2, World Championships

The Forsyth Alliance performed well, winning four matches and losing three to finish in the top half of their division, despite some communication problems with the robot. Their Regional-winning animation entry was chosen as one of only five finalists from among the almost 1,700 participating teams worldwide to compete for the 2009 season’s overall Visualization Design Award.

The end of this fourth season saw the graduation of many founding members of the Forsyth Alliance; virtually all are going on to college studies in engineering or a field related to their involvement in the FIRST Robotics program. Another significant byproduct of the FIRST program locally has been to spur the Board of Education to install an entire Engineering/Robotics Career Pathway in four county high schools and to create two Engineering Career Academies in Forsyth County.

For more information, photos and video of the Forsyth Alliance, visit www.forsythalliance.com, or for information on the FIRST program, visit www.usfirst.org

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