FIRST®

Dean Kamen founded FIRST® and its Robotics Competition in 1989, with 28 teams and a single 14 x 14 foot playing field in a New Hampshire high school gym. With the help of Woodie Flowers, there are now more than 2,850 teams participating worldwide, in more than 60 Regional events and a Championship event.
More information can be found on the FIRST® Website.
Objectives
- To inspire interest and participation in science and technology
- To create a world of science and technology are celebrated…where young people dream of becoming science and technology heroes.
FIRST® Divisions
- For high school aged students
- Teams design, build, and code robots to complete challenges, and raise their own funds
- For High School Students
- Teams design, build, and code robots to complete challenges.
- For late elementary school and early middle school students
- Teams design, build, and code robots out of LEGOs®, and also present solutions to real world problems
- For early elementary school students aged 6-8
- Teams design and build robots out of LEGOs®, and present solutions to real world challenges
Dean Kamen
FIRST® President
Founder of FIRST®
President of DEKA, Development and Research Corporation
Woodie Flowers
FIRST® National Adviser
Founder of FIRST®
Professor at MIT