To encourage participation by a broad and diverse range of schools and to ensure that no group is excluded for financial reasons, NASA has agreed to cover the registration fee for 20 high schools with the best proposals from the eight-state western region. In addition, schools with the best proposals will receive airfare and hotel accommodations for one team member to attend the kick-off event in Manchester, New Hampshire. Each year, specific detailed requirements of the robot games are carefully guarded until announced at the kick-off workshop. Students and their advisors then design and construct remote-control robots in six weeks using identical kits of material.
Advisors are often professional engineers from private industry, government and universities.
In all, regional finals will be held at eight locations across the country, including two other NASA centers. Other requirements include a plan for a dedicated teacher and a dedicated mechanical engineer to work with the students. Each team had a representative at the kick-off event in New Hampshire. This is a critical phase in the competition where the teams receive their robot kits and clarify their understanding of how they should prepare. Organizers say the overall goal of the robot competition is to allow students to interact with engineers so that the young people can see the connection between classroom instruction and the real world.