FRC is one of the world’s largest robotics competitions, organized by FIRST, a U.S.-based public nonprofit organization. Since its founding in 1992, hundreds of thousands of young people have participated each year. FIRST’s overarching goal is to promote STEM education and to nurture individuals who can contribute to the advancement of science and technology, including robotics.
In FRC, students work alongside professional engineers to design, build, and program a robot within a short six-week period. They then compete with their robot in an annual international competition.
Each year in January, a new game challenge is released, in which robots compete to complete specific tasks. Because the challenge changes every year, the required robot functions also vary from season to season.
After advancing through regional competitions held from late March to early April, the World Championship takes place in mid-April in Houston, Texas, USA. Many teams from Japan participate in the Hawaii Regional as their qualifying event.
The period from January to March is dedicated to building robots in preparation for competition and is known as the Building Season. The robots built during this time are large-scale machines, measuring approximately 1 meter × 1 meter × 1 meter and weighing around 60 kilograms.
During matches, alliances of three teams versus three teams compete against each other. Since alliance partners change from match to match, teams must develop strategies with different partners each time. This requires teams to compensate for one another’s weaknesses while leveraging their strengths, fostering deeper collaboration and interaction among teams.
More Than Robots
One of the defining characteristics of this competition is reflected in FIRST’s slogan, “More Than Robots.” This philosophy is especially evident during the approximately nine-month off-season outside of the robot build period.
All costs required to participate in the competition are borne by the teams themselves. As a result, teams must raise a substantial participation fee—often around 1 million yen—on their own. During the off-season, before robot construction begins, teams seek out corporate sponsors and conduct crowdfunding campaigns. By directly contacting companies and managing crowdfunding efforts, students develop strong social and professional skills.
Another notable aspect of FRC is its emphasis on giving back to the local community. Since teams operate with support from a wide range of individuals and organizations, they are encouraged to express their gratitude through community outreach activities. FIRST also offers an award known as the Impact Award, which is presented to teams recognized for embodying the “More Than Robots” philosophy through essays and videos that document their contributions to the local community.
"FIRST is More Than Robots. The robots are a vehicle for students to learn important life skills. Kids often come in not knowing what to expect – of the program nor of themselves. They leave, even after the first season, with a vision, with confidence, and with a sense that they can create their own future.”
– Dean Kamen
Scene from the Tournament
You can view scenes from past competitions in the video below.