Challenge Accepted!

FIRST Tech Challenge participants and teams rise to the challenge each season. At Kickoff in September, they are given a game challenge , and they get right to work tackling the problem with creativity, innovation, and ingenuity. The process they go through is a vital skill in robot-building and in life. When encountering a problem, be it a professional, personal, or academic challenge, the first step to finding a resolution is understanding the problem. Look at it from all angles, measure it, poke at it, ask questions, and even get other perspectives besides your own. After developing a full understanding of the problem or challenge, the fun begins: brainstorming possible solutions. The possibilities are endless, and maybe that is daunting, but focus first on just listing all ideas. Then go through each idea and look at its feasibility: can you do it? How much energy or effort will it take? Do you have the resources? Narrow down all of the options to three. Look closely at the...