For the third consecutive season, igus inc., East Providence, R.I., is sponsoring Botball, an educational robotics program funded by the KISS Institute for Practical Robotics. The Botball Program aims to integrate science, technology, engineering, and math with robotics to keep students on the cutting edge of technology. For the 2011 competition, igus donated Energy Chain cable carriers and DryLin linear guide systems to each team. Starting this month, students will have seven weeks to design, build, and program a mobile, autonomous robot while documenting their engineering process online.
In addition, for the sixth year, igus has joined forces with FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an organization that inspires young people's interest in science and technology. For the 2011 season, which also marks the 20th anniversary of the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC), igus has signed on as a diamond supplier for the event. The FRC diamond supplier level denotes a contribution between $200,000 and $500,000. igus donated various plastic machinery components, including Energy Chain cable carriers, DryLin N linear guide systems, iglide plastic plain bearings, igubal spherical bearings, and aluminum shafting. On January 8, the FIRST organization will unveil this season's engineering challenge to teams worldwide during its kick-off in Manchester, N.H. For more information, visit igus.com/yesprogram.