[ Thanks to James
Maguire for this link. ]
“And this isn’t just about having engineers-in-training. The
FIRST competitors draw on a variety of interests and skill sets –
they have to design their logo, raise money, make sure they
understand the design concepts, and delegate tasks to finish the
project. It isn’t easy. When I was at the region competitions last
week, I got to wander around the pit crews, and I saw one team that
was in the process of taking apart their robot and putting it back
together again to make it two inches shorter. For some reason, the
team hadn’t gotten the right measurements during their design
phase. Socket sets and crescent wrenches were in abundance as they
feverishly worked, in the style of the best Indy 500 pit crews. It
was a beautiful thing to watch. The only thing missing was the
sound of the air wrenches the big guys use in the pits.”