case studies

F.I.R.S.T. Robotics Competition

National Robotics Championship Event

CHALLENGE The F.I.R.S.T. Robotics Competition sets ordinary academics on its ear. Every year teams from participating schools compete in an intense, multi-national event that motivates students to pursue the fields of science, technology, and engineering.

SOLUTION The F.I.R.S.T. competition, (“For Inspiration & Recognition of Science & Technology”) is comprised of a series of regional competitions that culminate in the huge National Robotics Championship event. Sargent Productions and Show Department were charged with providing comprehensive staging — video, audio, and lighting for the competitions.

The championship competition was comprised of 300 teams, across five separate stages, each requiring separate audio and video systems. Fourteen cameras in various configurations and five Lipstick cameras for extreme close up shots were used to record and i-Mag each stage. Systems needed the flexibility of providing independent feeds to each stage, while maintaining the ability to deliver a combined feed. It was also necessary to link the event to 700 monitors throughout the venue, stream it over the internet, and uplink to NASA TV.

LED display was chosen to overcome natural daylight from the translucent domed arena. Show Department combined a line array speaker system with fill-in audio cabinetry for coverage — and 48 moving lights directed spectator attention. Rigging positions, similar to those used for U2 and Rolling Stones concerts, were required to support complex drapery and lighting trusses.