Interested in robots? Programming? Come to the bIrobot Summer Robotics Camp at Beaver Island Community School August 6th through the 10th from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. each day with a final competition time on the 10th at 1:30 p.m.. Design and build a robot to meet challenges in a game revealed at the start of camp. Team up with others and compete as an alliance against other teams to see who can score the most points. You’ll build and program a robot the first day of camp and then build on those skills to complete a week-long version of a FIRST FRC season. The grand finale will be a competition among the teams, to find the best robot. But everyone will win with a great experience. Your mentors will be the bIrobot FIRST FRC team, veterans of three FRC seasons, along with their coach, who teaches programming and robotics at BICS. No prior programming or robotics experience is required, but those with experience will still find plenty to challenge them. Course fee of $25 for materials. Sign up early as there are only a limited number of places.
To signup, go to birobot.org/camp2018 or stop in to BICS and go to the front desk in the school office.
Ah. The day the bIrobot and all other FRC teams wait for all year. Kickoff! The start of build season. No sleeping until February 19 at 11:59 p.m. If you want to join in the announcement you can check with us about attending our event or visit the FIRST website.
Again this year the FIRST world championship events are split between two locations–Houston and Detroit. We qualified for the world championships in St. Louis in 2016 (when they were still a single event). We worked hard to make it back to Worlds this year, but we did not make it. But, with the event nearby in Detroit you still might want to attend to see the competition as well as to attend some of the many conference sessions and to visit the exhibits.
Here is a link to information about the Detroit World event: https://www.firstchampionship.org/detroit-home. We attended the event last year because there are many useful conference sessions at Worlds. (We snuck into watch a few matches, too.) The FIRST world event is more exciting than any other high school competitive event we know about. If you can make it there even for a day, we encourage you to go. It’s all free for general attendance at the matches and for all conference events.
Interested in robots? Programming? Sign up for the bIrobot Summer Robtics Camp. Design and build a robot to meet challenges in a game revealed at the start of camp. Team up with others and compete as an alliance against other teams to see who can score the most points. You’ll build and program a robot the first day of camp and then build on those skills to complete a week-long version of a FIRST FRC season. The grand finale will be a competition among the teams, to find the best robot. But everyone will win with a great experience. Your mentors will be the bIrobot FIRST FRC team, veterans of three FRC seasons, along with their coach, who teaches programming and robotics at BICS. No prior programming or robotics experience is required, but those with experience will still find plenty to challenge them.
Class meets from 8:30 to 12:30 Monday through Thursday and 8:30 to 3:00 on Friday. Our competition will begin at 2:00 on Friday after a traditional bIrobot Pizza Party for campers (so pack a lunch Friday if you don’t like pizza). Summer residents and vacation visitors are welcome. You need not be a student at BICS to attend. There is a $35 activity fee.
Join us for a 2020 season kick-off event in the robot lab at BICS. We’ll watch the kick-off show live streamed for FIRST HQ and then begin work on planning our 2020 robot. We’ll wrap things up with a traditional pizza party at 1:00 p.m.
If you aren’t able to join us at BICS, you can watch the Kick-off live from FIRST HQ here: https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/1747660/85b43e41-770e-4585-86bf-f0a69d289791
FIRST HAS CANCELLED THIS YEAR’S CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT IN DETROIT.
Again this year the FIRST world championship events are split between two locations–Houston and Detroit. We qualified for the world championships in St. Louis in 2016 (when they were still a single event) and have attended the Detroit Championships as a guest of Consumers Energy after winning a state-wide Pit Display comeptition. We will work hard this year to return as a competitor in the event.
Here is a link to information about the Detroit World event: https://www.firstchampionship.org/detroit-home. The FIRST world event is more exciting than any other high school competitive event we know about. In addition to competition events for all four FIRST Leagues (FLL Jr., FLL, FTC and FRC), you can visit the teams in their pits and attend a full schedule of conference sessions that cover a broad range of topics of interest to students, parents and mentors that cover a variety of robotics and other topics. If you can make it there even for a day, we encourage you to go. It’s all free for general attendance at the matches and for all conference events.
Join us for a 2022 season kick-off event in the robot lab at BICS. We’ll watch the kick-off show live streamed for FIRST HQ and then begin work on planning our 2022 robot. We’ll wrap things up with a traditional pizza party at 1:30 p.m.
If you aren’t able to join us at BICS, you can join us by Zoom:
This year, FIRST® teams will explore the future of transportation. From the shipment of packages in rural and urban areas, to disaster relief delivery and high-tech air transit, teams will re-imagine faster, more reliable, inclusive, and sustainable transportation innovations that better connect and grow communities and economies around the world. Teams will address today’s global challenges related to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #9, focused on building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation. By encouraging FIRST participants to think about future transportation sustainability, we’re also empowering them to be the next generation of leaders and innovators, tackling the world’s toughest challenges.
Join the BICS robotics team bIrobot for a cybersecurity camp. Learn how to defend PCs by understanding how they are attacked. Participate in a cyber-sec “capture the flag” game as you compete against students from across the state. It’ll be lots of fun and the skills you learn will help get you ready for the BICS CyberPatriot team launching in the fall. The class will be taught by long-time island summer resident and cybersecurity expert Chris Sorensen with assistance from bIrobot Lead Mentor Kevin Boyle. The camp sessions will be available online and in person, but those on the island are encouraged top plan to participate in person. Camp times are 8:30 to 11:30
Signup begins May 1. To sign up, send an email to cybersecure@birobot.org.
Unfortunately, we’ve had to cancel our camp for this summer. Our team is small and its members are all busy with summer jobs this summer. We hope to build our ranks this year and offer a summer camp again next year.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We plan to resume our robotics camp this summer! It’s a mini-FRC season packed into a week. We’ll spend a day one getting up to speed. Kick-off (and the game reveal) will be at noon on day two with build continuing through the morning of day five. The competition will be day five. Campers will form teams to design and build their own robots using the Lego EV3 platform. Teams will compete both on robotics performance and their ability to explain their design, strategy and approach to teamwork to judges who will visit them in their pits during the competition (just like at and FRC event).
Camp will run 8:30 to 12:30 Monday through Friday. The competition will start at 1:00 on Friday.
Check the bIrobot website for additional details and to sign up to be notified when online registration becomes available.
Please remember that FIRST is more than robots. Campers will also design team logos, banners and buttons. No prior programming or robotics experience is required, but campers with prior experience will be equally challenged.
