'Lunacy' Comes To Kettering University March 6-7

The Kettering University FIRST Robotics District Competition will be full of “Lunacy” on March 6-7 in Flint.

“We’re so excited that 40 FIRST robotics teams from high schools around the state will be coming to Kettering,” said Bob Nichols, director of external relations at Kettering. “This year’s game is called ‘Lunacy’ because it forces teams to contend with the laws of physics. 

Added Nichols: “What’s different this year is the floor surface. This game isn’t on the traditional carpeted playing field. The floor is a low-friction surface, which will increase speed and level of difficulty. This game will be a good challenge even for Michigan’s most experienced FIRST teams.”  

This year’s robots will pick up nine-inch balls and score them in trailers hitched to their opponents' robots. Matches are two minutes and 15 seconds. Additional points are awarded for scoring a special game ball, the Super Cell, in the opponents' trailers during the last 20 seconds of the match.

Teams competing at the Kettering district contest are from Ann Arbor, Armada, Auburn Hills, Birmingham, Calumet, Canton, Clarkston, Fenton, Ferndale, Flint, Goodrich, Grand Blanc, Grandville, Grosse Pointe, Holland, Lake Fenton, Lake Orion, Lapeer, Madison Heights, Midland, Northville, Okemos, Pontiac, Rochester Hills, Swartz Creek, Warren, West Branch and Ypsilanti. 

For details on this list, visit: https://my.usfirst.org/myarea/index.lasso?page=teamlist&menu=false&event=GG&year=2009&event_type=FRC

Kettering’s event will be in the Connie and Jim John Recreation Center, and it is free and open to the public. Friday’s schedule includes inspections and practices in the morning and seeding matches until 9 p.m. Saturday’s events begin by 8 a.m. with seeding matches in the morning and finals in the afternoon. The awards ceremony is 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Kettering University FIRST Robotics District is one of seven district events in Michigan.  Michigan will also have a state championship contest in Ypsilanti in early April. 

Nichols said that the FIRST in Michigan district competition is a model for the nation and is based, in part, on the success of the low-cost Rookie Regional hosted last year at Kettering University.

Additionally, there will be 40 regional competitions in the U.S., Canada and Israel, which will lead to the 2009 FIRST Championship at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, April 16-18.

FIRST Robotics (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is now in its 18th season and is a national effort to inspire youth to explore career possibilities in engineering, science and technology. The event is a head-to-head competition between large radio-controlled robots built by teams of high school students and sponsoring engineers.

More than 42,000 high-school students on 1,686 teams from the U.S., Brazil, Canada, Chile, Germany, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Turkey, and the U.K. will participate in 2009.  More than $9 million in scholarships funds are now available for FIRST participants.

“And Kettering University is proud to partner with WWJ Newsradio 950 on the FIRST Teacher of the Year award,” Nichols added. “The announcement honoring a dedicated FIRST teacher, mentor and leader will be made this spring.”

For more on the Kettering University FIRST Robotics District Competition, visit: www.firstinmichigan.org/index.php?topic=kettering.