Analog Devices Partners with FIRST® to Support Next Generation of Problem Solvers and Innovators

FIRST® Robotics Competition kicked off its 2016 season with Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) as a proud supporter. More than 75,000 high school students worldwide are working with adult mentors for six weeks to design, build, program, and test robots in the 2016 FIRST STRONGHOLD^SM competition. ADI provides students with not only the sensors used in robots for motion and balance, but also tools to make data acquisition and signal generation easy. In addition, ADI employees volunteer withFIRST as mentors, judges and coaches. ADI has also set up a webpage for students to learn more about how to use ADI components in their robots:https://www.analog.com/FIRST. FIRST is a not-for-profit organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people’s interest and participation in science and technology.

• Learn more about the FIRST Robotics Competition and 2016 season and ADI’s support: https://www.analog.com/FIRST
• Follow FIRST student alumna, Kristen Villemez, along her path from FIRSTparticipant to ADI engineer: https://www.analog.com/journey-first-robotics

“ADI has a long history of supporting STEM education and is excited to be a partner in the 2016 FIRST Robotics Competition season,” said Vincent Roche, president and CEO, Analog Devices. “From mentorship opportunities, to ongoing financial assistance, to supplying technology, Analog Devices is proud to further expand our support of the FIRST Robotics Competition and empower tomorrow’s innovation leaders to create solutions and opportunities that make a positive impact on people’s lives and the world around us.”

This year ADI is donating, for inclusion in the FIRST student kit of parts, an easy to use tool that simplifies code debugging and introduces the fundamentals of electrical engineering. The company is also providing an ADI gyroscope board that enables precise measurement of motion and rotation to help students’ robots better navigate the field. Additionally, ADI is providing an inertial measurement unit that packs gyroscopes, accelerometers, a barometer, and a magnetometer into a small and robust housing designed for robotics.

“We appreciate the continuous support Analog Devices has shown FIRST over the years,” said Donald E. Bossi, president, FIRST. “As a world leader in technical innovation, Analog Devices has a rich legacy of discoveries and can help inspire and guide the next generation of technology innovators.”

At the recent FIRST Kickoff, teams were shown the FIRST STRONGHOLD game field and challenge details for the first time. Once these young inventors build a robot, their teams will participate in one or more of the 118 Regional and District events that measure the effectiveness of each robot, the power of collaboration, and the determination of students. In FIRST STRONGHOLD, two Alliances of three robots each are on a Quest to breach their opponents’ fortifications, weaken their tower with boulders, and capture the opposing tower. Robots score points by breaching opponents’ defenses and scoring boulders through goals in the opposing tower. In the final 20 seconds of the Quest, robots may surround and scale the opposing tower to capture it.