Robotics

FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) is part of the FIRST family of programs. FTC in Michigan is geared for upper middle school students who want to compete head to head using a sports model. Teams are tasked with designing, building, and programming their robots to compete on a 12' X 12' field in an alliance format against other teams.

Kick-off is the official start to the FTC season and is when the season's game is unveiled. Robots are built using a TETRIX_® platform that is reusable from year-to-year. Students use LabVIEW or RobotC to program their robots which operate in both an autonomous and tele-op mode.

Teams are challenged to develop strategies and build robots based on sound engineering principles. One of the goals of FTC is to recognize the engineering design process and "the journey" that a team makes during its phases. The team chronicles this journey in their Engineering Book.

Teams compete at an official event hosted by a tournament director under the guidance of our FTC Affiliate Partners. Awards are given for the competition as well as community outreach, design, and other real-world accomplishments.

Visit the Gull Lake Robotics website for more information.