We were scrolling through our local news site this morning when we saw the story…the one that always makes me smile this time of year…our local Robotics team once again kicking butt. Take a read about this years Velociraptor, a combination of science, media, technology, deep storytelling, and high competition that is 20 years in the making. It is why I always tie this time of year as much to “March Mathness” as to our other love, “March Madness.”
As a reminder, March 14th is Pi Day, the day that celebrates the mathematical constant (3.14). Pi Day was founded by Physicist Larry Shaw in 1988 and has grown in every area of science, especially as areas like gaming and analytics continue to be even more interesting to a younger demo. Maybe it wasn’t what Dr. Shaw had in mind, but it certainly is more applicable today than maybe ever before.
This past weekend we again spent two and a half days at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, and the value and balance of data tied to the billion dollar business of sport has never been more vibrant across the board. More on Chess Boxing and other findings coming later this week BTW.
While there was a time, even recently during the pandemic, where science, including all areas of STEM (Science Technology, Engineering, Math) were on the downside, the growth of areas like streaming, AI, VR, AR, the use of analytics in all areas of sport, gaming, esports, ticketing, health and wellness, business intelligence even most recently the explosion of tokens and games of strategy played in the digital space, like traditional gaming, have continued to show how the worlds of science and sport continue to meld.
There used to be the great divide; those who loved sports and those who loved science, and rarely the two crossed paths. An area that we continue to watch, one that has taken a bit of a hit and pivoted from the tangible to the virtual this past year, is competitive robotics. Now we are not really talking about Battlebots, which made its mark on TV, although it certainly doesn’t hurt. We are talking about the competitions that have arisen in high schools and middle schools around the country which combine teambuilding and competition with every area of science.
The annual National Robotics Kickoff starts in early January in high schools around the country, with teams were given their assignment to build not just the device, but the narrative around the project, all leading to a world championship head to head competition later this spring. No different than say, the NCAA basketball championship or even the NFL Playoffs. During the Pandemic teams even used their team skills to build devices that helped the elderly or the medical community. Some found ways to stream and conduct other sessions that can keep their communities together until, normalcy in robotics competitions returned robustly.
Why the bounce back? It’s because all areas of science, have again become cool, and robotics as a crossover genre, blends the competitive side of sport with high tech like nothing else.
They have names like the RoboWarriors and the Miracle Workers, LuNaTecs and Pi-oneers. There will be faces painted and logo’ed flags to rival any traditional sporting contest. The field of play even resembles a hockey rink, complete with boards and plexiglass. Teams as large as 100 students or more work on various aspects of the presentation, from video and animation to programming and design, each helping to task and tell the story around the assigned robotic project.
The original program was entitled FIRST, standing for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology and was the brainchild of Segway PT inventor Dean Kamen over 25 years ago with the goal of boosting science in the way that high school’s glorify sports.
The competition is not your father’s Erector Set version of building a robot. Each team trains for weeks many using the designated program to have its robot perform a series of complex tasks against another table of robots, with competition set up in teams of three.
However what is more amazing is the sense of fun, competition and creativity that each of the teams have throughout the event. From posters to mascots to elongated signs, the students and their supporters cheer with a fervor that would match any athletic event. Everyone who goes sees the best of what robotics has to offer…healthy competition with a mosaic of children from every ethnic and social background in a healthy competition devoid of many of the trappings that childhood events have these days. There may be some uber parents in the crowd, but most are there for good natured support both moral and emotional.
Robotics is a key area of growth as we come out the other side of this…a competition that is fun, ties to STEM, unites people from all backgrounds and since it has its science and team ties, streams really well for an audience that is mobile first.
I’m looking forward to seeing Robotics, in this new science and data friendly environment grow even more. The Olympics…The World Mind Games…with so many platforms looking for content how come no one has packaged this “Road To The Motor City”…where the championships are taking place this year again…and found a streaming home for it. It’s all in the way the narrative is framed.
March Mathness is bigger than ever before, and that’s a good thing. Co-ed success, teamwork, sports and science all in one amazing package. Check it out.
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