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Purple Gears Get a Patent! by Rachelle Garbarine Numbers are important to the Cardinal Gibbons High School Robotics Team . None, however, is as memorable as 8,794,386 � the number issued to the team�s first U.S. patent.  The patent, which the team assigned to Cardinal Gibbons, is for a folding forklift. The FIRST Tech Challenge team - the Purple Gears aka Team 2901 - conceived, tested, and built the device as part of its design for the robot it entered in the 2011 national robotics competition known as FIRST (ForInspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Tech Challenge or FTC. That year, the Purple Gears also went to the FTC World Championship in St. Louis.  While it is rare for a high school team to file a patent, the Cardinal Gibbons Team has three filings to its credit. In addition to the forklift patent, which underwent three years of review before it was issued this August 5, the team has filed a second one for a custom treaded wheel; and a third for a ...

Whenever you engage in a brand new activity, there is what is called a �learning curve:� that period of time when you need to figure out how the new thing works, learn the skills, and practice before you can achieve success. Sometimes this takes a few minutes, sometimes days, and sometimes much longer. FTC Team  #2843 wrote the TETRIX Build Guide for their "PB" PushBot. Folks who do not know FIRST and FIRST Tech Challenge have to work through this learning curve. And the curve gets bigger the less technical you are. It�s a lot like learning a new language or culture: �What do all the acronyms mean?� �How does the Game work?� �Who can answer my questions?� �How do the robots get built?� �What�s that part on the robot called?� And so on. For new folks, it can be intimidating and frustrating. For Rookie FTC teams, the learning curve is even steeper. They have to work through all of the same stuff as any newcomer, but also have to learn how create a team, build a budget, and f...

Did you have a great Kickoff? Did you take pictures? We always want to see know what you are doing, so share your stories and photos with stories@usfirst.org .  We are so excited to finally share FIRST Tech Challenge CASCADE EFFECT sm with you all and to see what creations you will build to tackle this challenge. Don't forget to check out all of the information, tools, and tips on the FTC Team Reouscres web page. Now, how about a huge round of applause to the Game Design committee for all the work they put into creating this game, and if you haven�t heard all about it, head on over to the FTC Game Page to learn more. So far the word on the street is that this is going to be an exciting and challenging season. Is your Team rip-roaring and ready to go build a cool robot? We had a lot of fun with game hints this summer, and now we get to review them for you. The kickstand aspect of the center game element was on our minds a lot, as you can tell from the following: Only 13 days unt...