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Botball gets 'CREATIVE' in '08
 iRobot's Create Programmable Robot is going to be a BIG part of the Botball kit for the 2008 season! In addition to 2 XBC's, each
team will receive one Create in their Botball kit. During the 2-day
workshop, teams will not build a demo-bot, instead they will use the
Create platform. Now teams will be able to jump right into learning
and testing IC programs on an autonomous bot without having to build it.
The Create will help teams succeed!
Because the Create is already equipped with sensors and motors, it will allow new teams the chance to focus more energy on programming in IC and making their autonomous robots smarter.
Students will still have the ability to come up with a great mechanical
design, but it will not hinder their ability to succeed if they do not
spend every minute building.
What about returning teams?
With
the ready made Create base, veteran Botball teams will be able to
devote more time to developing their other robot, writing better IC
programs to govern both bots, and building extreme structures on the
Create. I'll wager that we see robots at tournaments next year that
are like nothing we have ever seen before. Get your cameras ready!
Is it versatile enough for Botball?
Creates have several built in sensors, and are currently being used in
many colleges (including Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and
MIT) for programming, building, and artificial intelligence projects.
Sounds pretty cool :)
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Your time to recruit is NOW!
 Each year, we depend on Botball teams to help
recruit new teams and retain teams from the previous years. If you
know of a school, school district, or conference in your area at which
you would like to recruit new teams, let me know. I am happy to
help by sending materials (that can be customized with your specific
info) and/or contacting potential team leaders, mentors, and sponsors.
New brochures are on the move
Because of all the BIG changes to the Botball Program this year, we've created new Botball brochures to help you bring new people up to speed. If you would like brochures sent to your team, all you have to do is say the word... er...type the word.
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