2011 FRC Kickoff Workshops

FIRST Robotics Competition Kickoff Workshops

The 2011 FIRST Robotics Competition Kickoff Workshops will be held at FIRST Headquarters in Manchester, NH on Friday, January 7th.  The purpose of these workshops is to provide rookie and veteran teams with the opportunity to learn from other teams, mentors, supporters, and suppliers. 

Recordings:  all recordings are linked under the 2011 Kickoff Workshops tag on the ThinkTank 

Workshops Descriptions

The goal of this year's workshops is to share the knowledge and experience of FIRST teams, participants, and coaches to help you prepare for the upcoming season. Everyone is welcome to attend any session, although some are more focused on rookie participants, while others cover more advanced topics.

The workshops currently planned for 2011 are:

Resources Workshops

These workshops cover technical and non-technical topics that would appeal to all experience levels. Planned topics include:
  • Drive System Designs
    9:00 AM - 9:45 AM
    Review of several different drive styles used by teams, tips & techniques for them to work most effectively, and the pros & cons of different systems.     Hosted by Paul Ventimiglia, Founder, Paul's Robotics.
  • Using Belt Drives 
    10:00 AM - 10:45 AM
    Hosted by Eric Bjork, Gates Corporation.
  • Fundamentals of 3D Modeling and Document Management 
    11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    Learn the basics of Creo Elements/Pro to build and validate robot mechanical designs and learn how to organize team data with Windchill. Hosted by Scott Moris, PTC.
  • Why Design First 
    1:00 PM - 1:45 PM
    With only six weeks to ready a robot for competition, it’s a challenge to optimize time, focus team efforts, and strategize how to best solve the 2011 FRC game.  We know there is a strong temptation to dive into the Kit of Parts and start to build!  Educators and experts from Autodesk will share a quick and simple design process that your team or sub-team can follow to move quickly from brainstorming to prototyping, testing, building, more testing, & successful competition.  Examples from FRC will be used, and resources for all teams will be shared. Hosted by Phil Dolan and Amy Mollison, Autodesk.
  • Team Web sites in a Social World
    2:00 PM - 2:45 PM
    Communications about and to your team are critically important to the sustainability of your program. Hosted by Nick Galotti, Senior Web Designer, WPI.
  • Manipulator & Appendage Design
    3:00 PM - 3:45 PM 
    Review of mechanisms commonly used in FRC robot and how to appropriately design and apply them to your team’s robot. Hosted by Andy Baker, Founder, AndyMark, Inc.
  • CAN Applications 
    4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
    Presentation on implementing CAN in the control of your robot. Hosted by Scott McMahon, Texas Instruments.

Rookie Workshops 

These workshops are specifically designed to address the needs and concerns of rookie teams or new members of veteran teams.  They will start from the basics and cover every day from kickoff to competition! 
  • Intro-Programming 101
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM for all programming topics.
    Hosted by WPI, NI, and Sun.
  • Programming 101 - C/C++ *recording available
  • Programming 101 - Java *recording available
  • Programming 101 - LabVIEW *recording available
  • Robotics 101
    1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
    This session will cover everything you need to know to get you through the 6 weeks. Starting with brainstorming sessions, moving into design, prototyping, and manufacturing, and even into topics like driver selection. This session will aim to give you a wide-variety of information to help your team be successful. Hosted by Ken Stafford, WP Robotics Resource Center.
  • Events 101
    3:15 PM - 5:00 PM
    Not sure what to expect at your FIRST Regional?  Veteran team members and volunteers will give you everything you need to have a great first event, whether it’s knowing when and how to get inspected or figuring out ‘alliances’, this session has you covered! Hosted by Kathie Kentfield, FIRST Senior Mentor, Dana Henry, Assistant Regional Director in Western MA, Lynne Henry, and Jack Kentfield.

 

Other Important Information

Registration
Teams must register for the workshops and specific tracks via TIMS. The workshops are open to both adults and students provided the team has registered. Check TIMS for the limitations for each specific track.

Location 
All workshops are planned at FIRST Headquarters at 200 Bedford Street in Manchester, NH. Any changes to this will be noted here and on the schedule.

Parking
Limited free parking is available in the lots in the front and back of 200 Bedford St. Parking in the lots of surrounding buildings is prohibited and you may be ticketed or towed. Metered parking is available all around our building (pay by coin or credit/debit card). A public parking garage is also available at the Radisson Hotel.  FIRST cannot validate or refund parking.

Time
Workshops are from 9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. There will be time for networking throughout the day and some suppliers may have tables setup. Check-in starts at 8:30 A.M. in the 200 Bedford Street lobby.

Food
After Check-in we will have muffins and beverages for workshop attendees in the morning. No lunch will be provided.  Attendees are welcome to bring their own bag lunch, and we will have seating available in FIRST Place over the lunch hour.  We will have maps with near-by restaurants for those who wish to go out over the lunch break.