1994

Archive tag	1994
Game Information
Game name	Tower Power
Number of teams	44
Number of official events	1
Chairman's Award winner	191
Winner	144
Finalist	-105
← 1993 1995 →

The 1994 FIRST Robotics Competition season formally began on January 7th, 1994 at the kickoff event in Nashua, New Hampshire. The only official event was the 1994 FIRST Robotics Competition, also held in Nashua, New Hampshire.

FIRST did not have direct access to the internet during this period, and communicated with teams through fax and a BBS. The first international team, team -61, from Kingston, Jamaica, competed in 1994. Canada FIRST also began in 1994 and played the 1994 FIRST (then U.S. FIRST) game.

Kickoff

Kickoff was held at FIRST headquarters in Nashua, New Hampshire on January 7th, 1994. Attendees were introduced to Tower Power, the kit of parts materials, some of the rules, and the playing field. A presentation about the 1993 Texas BEST (then NT BEST) competition "PVC Insanity" and the Sherman High team was also shown and lunch was provided.

Documentation

Team updates

The 1994 game manual is currently unavailable. If you have a copy, or know someone who does, let the Archive know.

Other official documents

December 17, 1993 pre-kickoff letter
1994 Yearbook

Playing field and scoring

• 

  The playing field and starting positions [1]

• 

  Dean Kamen on the playing field at kickoff [2]

The field is a carpeted 12-sided regular polygon measuring 34 feet across. The border of the field is a 4 by 4 inch lumber curb with a wire fence surrounding the field. In the center of the field is a wooden goal structure surrounded by an 8 foot wide hexagon with a raised border that also forms part of the goal. The base of the goal has a series of 12 wooden dowels extending upwards to form a small cage, six of which extend upwards to support the upper portion of the goal 5 feet 2-1/2 inches off the ground.

Three robots in the pink/black, purple/yellow, and pink/green positions play one-on-one-on-one matches in the seeding rounds, with one-on-one semifinal and final matches. Robots start in three starting positions 120 degrees away from one another up against the field's curb. Each team has twelve matching color balls that start the match in two triangular formations of six balls each centered halfway between the center of the field and the curb. The two triangles of balls start rotated 90 degrees around the field away from the starting position of the team they score for.

Driver stations are against the side of the field with two black pipes extending upwards with soccer balls corresponding to the position of the station mounted on top.

• 

  Getting ready for a match at the first Canada FIRST event, which used the Tower Power game [3]

Balls that end the match anywhere in the 8 foot wide hexagonal area in the center of the field are worth one point. Balls in the bottom of the goal are also worth one point. Balls in the top of the goal are worth three points, meaning the maximum score was 36 points.

Each match lasts two minutes. The control system is automatically enabled and disabled when matches begin and end.

Game strategy

Scoring first was almost always advantageous and nearly every team focused on scoring balls in the high goal because of the point differential and potential abilities of the robots. Successful robots were able to intake and then score six balls at a time, allowing a theoretical perfect score after two cycles, one for each cluster of balls. Bucket dumper robots would collect as many of their balls as possible into a large bin which would then be lifted and tipped into the high portion of the goal. Catapults were also a fairly effective method of scoring high, especially consistent ones like National champion team 144's Sunny Delight. Intake systems varied with rolling grabber intakes being fairly common as well as a track or tunnel directing balls to the shooter, dumper, or lifter.

Robots also had to contend with hopping the short curb surrounding the 8 foot wide hexagon in the center of the field. Some robots scored from right against the curb while others had large wheels to drive right over it. Other robots bounced over the curb, occasionally dislodging balls from their machine.

• 

  Team 144 launching balls in finals match one at the 1994 FIRST Robotics Competition [4]

• 

  Team -105 picks up a cluster of balls in finals match one at the 1994 FIRST Robotics Competition [5]

• 

  Team 191 extends upwards and scores [6]

• 

  Team -51 extending to score from the goal curb while team -98 scores from within [7]

Robot construction

As was the norm for the era, the majority of robot components came from the kit of parts or Small Parts catalog. The Small Parts allowance for 1994 was $300. In addition to kit components, up to eight pulleys and/or sprockets and 15 feet of timing belts and/or chain could be purchased off the shelf from other sources. A printer was also included in the kit of parts, although its electrical components could not be connected to the robot's control system.

Robots must fit unconstrained in any orientation inside a 30 inch tall cylinder that is 36 inches in diameter at the start of a match and weigh no more than 65 pounds. Hydraulics were actually ruled legal this year in a team update, although any compression had to come from legal kit motors or springs.

Drill motors were typically used in the drivetrain of machines, while mechanisms were typically run by the Delco seat motors. Chassis were commonly wood and many robots took up much of the cylindrical maximum starting dimensions with round chassis.

Control system

Due to the lack of surviving documentation, many of the specifics of the 1994 control system are currently lost to time.

The kit of parts included an eight-way joystick similar to 1993 which was wired by default so that it would control two channels on the robot controller. If the drivetrain motors were wired into these outputs, the joystick could be rotated 45 degrees and used to drive the robot in a tank drive style.

The transmit and receive boxes could communicate wirelessly using a pair of RNET radios or a tether cable and adaptor plugged directly between the two boxes. RNETs would be surrendered before competition began and operating in the pits required use of a tether cable. The kit included project boxes and a variety of switches to construct a custom button box.

As was common for the time, the available motors were drill motors and Delco seat motors.

Team list

More information about pre-1998 team numbers is available here.

Team number	Team name	Team location	Robot	Archive link
-61	Advanced Integrated Systems Ltd. / University of the West Indies & Jamaica College JC Pirates	Kingston, Jamaica		1994 frc-61
83	Alliant Techsystems - Marine Systems & Kamiak High School Purple Haze	Mukilteo, WA		1994 frc83
6	Alliant Techsystems, Inc. & Washburn High School The Mighty Millers	Hopkins, MN		1994 frc6
-77	AT&T; Bell Laboratories / AT&T; Global Information Solutions / NCR Microelectronic Products & Harrison High School Panther Trax	Murray Hill, NJ		1994 frc-77
157	Bose Corporation & Assabet Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School / Framingham High School Hot Shots	Framingham, MA		1994 frc157
45	Delco Electronics Corporation & Kokomo High School Science KATS	Kokomo, IN	KATapult	1994 frc45
73	Eastman Kodak Company & Edison Technical School	Rochester, NY	Ediak	1994 frc73
-99 (148)	E-Systems, Inc. & Dallas Christian School The Dallas Christian Chargers	Greenville, TX		1994 frc-99
148	E-Systems, Inc. & Greenville High School	Greenville, TX	The Mystery Machine	1994 frc148
-109	Ford Motor Company & Fordson High School The Tractors	Dearborn, MI		1994 frc-109
99	Freudenberg-NOK & Memorial High School	Manchester, NH		1994 frc99
131	General Electric Aircraft Engines & Manchester Central High School Little Green GEMS	Hooksett, NH		1994 frc131
129	GTE / Texas Instruments & Sherman High School Lone Star Rumbler	Sherman, TX		1994 frc129
80	Honeywell Space and Aviation Control & Cortez High School RoboColt	Phoenix, AZ		1994 frc80
-110	Honeywell, Inc. & North Community High School Ursus Maritimus	Minneapolis, MN		1994 frc-110
81	Honeywell's MICRO SWITCH Division & Freeport High School / Aquin High School	Freeport, IL	The Pretzelator	1994 frc81
-98	Ingersoll-Rand Company & Bishop Guertin High School The Cardinals	Nashua, NH		1994 frc-98
90	Johnson & Johnston Associates / Astro Precision Machine, Inc. / Brooks Automation & Salem Vocational High School	Hampstead, NH	IT	1994 frc90
151	Lockheed Sanders & Nashua High School	Nashua, NH	Soccer Striker	1994 frc151
-35	Mann-Horton & Associates, Inc. / K. Albert Associates / Stevens Institute of Technology & Dwight Morrow High School ACES (Atlantic Coast Engineering Staff)	Englewood, NJ	Little Ace	1994 frc-35
-51 (213)	Markem Corporation & Keene High School	Keene, NH	Son of Beast	1994 frc-51
-39	MITRE Corporation / Hanscom Air Force Base & Bedford High School	Bedford, MA	BHAM-BAM (Bedford, Hanscom and Mitre - Ball Attacking Machine)	1994 frc-39
-111	NASA Lewis Research Center & Cuyahoga County Schools A.S.T.R.O. (Applied Science and Technology Research Operation)	Cleveland, OH		1994 frc-111
-97	Navi Dowty & Associates, Inc. & D.C. Everest High School The I Omegas	Schofield, WI		1994 frc-97
-74	Northeast Utilities Company / U.S. Coast Guard Academy & New London High School / Waterford High School NEMESIS (Neophyte Engineers Mechanical Elevation System Involving Students)	Hartford, CT		1994 frc-74
-90	NYNEX Corporation & Newburgh Free Academy	White Plains, NY	SCOREBOT (Soccer ball Collecting Obstructing Retrieving Elevating Brute On Tracks)	1994 frc-90
69	NYNEX Corporation & Somerville High School The HIGH-LANDers	White Plains, NY		1994 frc69
-33	NYNEX Corporation / R.G. Vanderweil Engineers, MIT-Lincoln Laboratories & St. Bernard's Central Catholic High School	White Plains, NY	A.R.E.S. (Adaptable Robotic Elevation System)	1994 frc-33
126	NYPRO, Inc. & Clinton High School Gael Force	Clinton, MA	Wicker Ship	1994 frc126
-89	Powersoft Corporation / Massachusetts Institute of Technology & Boston Latin High School S2D (Strive 2 Dominate)	Concord, MA		1994 frc-89
-53	Procter & Gamble Company & Aiken High School The Fighting Falcons	Cincinnati, OH		1994 frc-53
144	Procter & Gamble Company & Walnut Hills High School The Ball'ed Eagles	Cincinnati, OH	Sunny Delight	1994 frc144
146	Public Service of New Hampshire & Manchester West High School Power Knights	Manchester, NH		1994 frc146
20	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute & Shenendehowa High School	Troy, NY	H.O.W. (Hell On Wheels)	1994 frc20
-115	SMC Pneumatics, Inc. & Ipswich High School The Snappers	Topsfield, MA		1994 frc-115
98	Southern Methodist University & St. Mark's School of Texas	Dallas, TX	SM-U Shooter	1994 frc98
155	Stanley Works / Stanley Access Technologies / Stanley Hardware & Berlin High School ARES (Astounding Redcoats Equipped by Stanley)	New Britain, CT		1994 frc155
-94	Summa Four & Derryfield High School SummaCat	Manchester, NH		1994 frc-94
-102	Symbiosis Corporation & Miami Springs High School The FLying Springs	Miami, FL		1994 frc-102
-105	Texas Instruments, Inc. & Denison High School The Lone Star Stingers	Sherman, TX		1994 frc-105
-108	The Boeing Company, Commercial Airplane Group & Bellevue High School The Sonic Boom	Seattle, WA		1994 frc-108
-78	University of New Hampshire / Bailey Corporation & Winnacunnet High School	Durham, NH	The Power Shopper	1994 frc-78
190	Worcester Polytechnic Institute & Doherty High School / Mass Academy of Math & Science	Worcester, MA	Scorpion	1994 frc190
191	Xerox Corporation & Joseph C. Wilson Magnet High School The X-Cats	Webster, NY	Archimedes	1994 frc191

Official media

Several different official shirts were produced in 1994. Teams were sent blue Tower Power shirts with the program cover logo on the back that were to be decorated and worn as team shirts at the competition. Volunteers and staff at the 1994 Championship wore aqua shirts with the logo in the front and "STAFF" written in large letters on the back. Attendees at the championship could purchase a black shirt with the logo on the front. A purple shirt with the logo on the front was worn by some speakers.

• 

  Multiple teams wearing customized blue Tower Power shirts [8]

• 

  The 1994 staff shirt [9]

• 

  Woodie Flowers starting a match in the staff shirt [10]

• 

  A child wearing the black Tower Power shirt at the 1995 Chicago Museum of Science and Industry demo [11]

• 

  The 1994 Chairmen's Award being presented in the purple shirt [12]

News and unofficial media

North Carolina cancelation notice from team 45