We have done it too - but this year was special. All season the kids had a feature that no one could figure out. They could pick up blocks that were at a diagonal and no one else could. It was killer. So we had been very protective of that secret and it was a big reason I wasn't blogging because the kids around the world had been doing things like sending people in the region (even as far as NH) to meets or scrimmages we were at with long lenses!! I couldn't risk posting a picture in our workroom and someone seeing it. They would talk about it in some social media streams including analyzing video shots from FTC sites and pictures and posting them thinking they knew the secret. It was super crazy. So we didn't release our reveal until a day before Worlds started. There were lines in our booth to understand the trick and do the head slap as it was actually so simple. The best innovations are.
The kids also did a really cool thing. As our team was all graduating at once, they ended their reveal with a montage of their years in FIRST. I cry everytime I see it. It starts at 3 min 49 sec. And at the end - they passed the baton to their younger siblings in a gracious move. They gave them their name and trusted them with their legacy.
Fabulous! What a great bunch of talented engineers and problem solvers!
ReplyDelete