Infinite Recharge (2021)

Infinite Recharge (stylized in all caps), is the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) game for the 2021 season.[1] The season is in partnership with Lucasfilm as part of its Star Wars: Force for Change initiative.

Infinite Recharge
Year2021
Season Information
Number of regionalsNo events currently scheduled
Number of district eventsSome events being planned

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 season is the first season in history to begin with no events scheduled, with teams instead invited to take part in three virtual challenges that will include judged awards.[2] FIRST has also committed to regular reevaluations of the status of the pandemic to determine if in-person events are possible, with the first reevaluation scheduled for January. In light of this, some districts are working on limited hybrid events. For example, FIRST Chesapeake, which runs events in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., is currently working on events that will take place in March and April.[3] Teams have also worked on their own individual projects, such as producing personal protective equipment (i.e. face masks).[4] Other teams are taking the season off to develop improvements to their robot that can be applied to future seasons, such as a new drive system.[5]

Kickoff

Kickoff took place on January 9, 2021.[2] The event was streamed over Twitch and featured presentations on the three virtual challenges that will make up a major part of the season.

Field and Rules
For details on the 2020 field, see Infinite Recharge § Field.

The 2021 field is relatively similar to the 2020 field, with no changes that will significantly impact robot design.[6] See below for a summary of changes for the 2021 season.

Field and Rule Changes
Element Change(s)
Rendezvous point Bisecting boundaries have been removed and alliance colored boundaries now use tape. Additionally, the point's size has increased.
Power cell staging Power cells will now be staged inside the rendezvous point instead of on the boundaries.
Shield generator scoring Power cell capacity and activation requirements for stages 2 and 3 have decreased from 20 to 15.
Control panel scoring The value of rotational control has increased from 10 points to 15 points.
Drive team composition An adult mentor can now serve as a technician in addition to a coach. There can only be one adult per drive team.
Alliance station power cell capacity Capacity has decreased from 15 to 14.
Robot construction requirements Teams are no longer required to complete a bill of materials, keep their robot's cost under a certain limit, or comply with limitations on using components designed or fabricated before kickoff.
Bumper design Bumper corners are no longer required to be of an alliance-specific color.

[7]

Challenges and Events

For the 2021 season, virtual challenges are currently expected to take the place of most events. If events do take place, they will occur later in the season, which has been extended to at least early August.[8]

Game Design Challenge

This challenge will ask teams to create a proposal for a hypothetical FRC game.[2] Teams are allowed to use real-world, virtual, and/or hybrid elements, and will be able to receive awards based on a judge's evaluation of their proposal. Proposals will also be considered for development into a future official game. Teams that participate in this challenge may be eligible to receive the Designer's Award, the Concept Award, the Imagery Award, the Creativity Award, the Engineering Design Award, and/or the Rookie Design Award.[9]

Innovation Challenge

In this challenge, teams will be asked to design a solution to a problem that is related to the 2020-2021 FIRST season's theme, Game Changers.[2] Teams will then present their solutions, along with a business plan and pitch, to judges, who will evaluate each team's proposal and determine if they will advance to the next stage of the Challenge. The Challenge will culminate in the Global Innovation Awards on June 28-30, which will include a showcase, workshops, and a finalist judging session and awards ceremony.[10]

Infinite Recharge at Home

This challenge will feature an individual robot and driver skills challenge based on Infinite Recharge field and game elements where teams can demonstrate their robot and compete with other teams for skills challenge awards.[2] Teams will not be required to construct wooden field elements or use a carpet driving surface to complete the challenge.[9] This challenge will also include traditional technical awards, albeit with virtual presentations to judges. Unlike in previous seasons, teams will not be required to have access to their robot to be eligible for these awards. The technical awards that will be presented as part of this challenge are the Autonomous Award, the Excellence in Engineering Award, the Rookie Game Changer Award, the Industrial Design Award, and the Quality Award.[9] Additionally, the team with the highest skills challenge score in their judging group will receive the skills challenge winner award and the team with the second highest score will receive the skills challenge finalist award.

Skills Challenges
Challenge Details
Galactic Search Challenge Teams program their robot to collect power cells autonomously, similar to the autonomous period of a standard match. Teams are scored based on the time needed to collect all the power cells.
AutoNav Challenge Teams program their robot to drive three predetermined paths as fast as possible. Teams are scored based on the time needed to complete the three paths.
Hyperdrive Challenge Teams drive their robot through four predetermined paths as fast as possible without preprogramed navigation assistance. Teams are scored based on the time needed to complete each path.
Interstellar Accuracy Challenge Teams use their robot to pick up and score power cells into lower, upper, and inner ports, similar to the teleop period of a standard match. Teams are scored based on the number of power cells successfully scored into a port in five minutes, with the upper and inner ports worth more points.
Power Port Challenge Similar to the previous challenge, teams use their robots to pick up and score power cells into the three ports. Teams are scored based on the number of power cells successfully scored into a port in one minute.

[11]

District Event Statuses

Some districts are planning to hold events with a limited number of teams and volunteers. Each district's current status is listed below. Districts must receive approval from FIRST headquarters before holding hybrid or in-person events.

District Event Status
FIRST Chesapeake Planning for limited hybrid events in March and April and a district championship in April[3]
FIRST in Michigan Planning for smaller events with possible remote participation[12]
FIRST Indiana Smaller events in the spring are possible based on local guidance[13]
FIRST in Texas Planning for smaller events[14]
FIRST Mid-Atlantic No details have been announced
FIRST North Carolina Only virtual events are scheduled[15]
FIRST Israel Event details will be announced shortly[16]
New England Teams will be given a minibot that can be used for district-specific challenges. No other events have been announced[17]
Ontario Planning for 18-team one-day events in March and April[18]
Peachtree Planning for one-day 18-team events in March with a district championship in April[19]
Pacific Northwest Waiting for HQ decision, earliest events could be is mid to late March[20]

References
  1. "FIRST Robotics Competition Game and Season Info". FIRSTinspires. 2019-04-20. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  2. "FIRST HQ Update on 2021 FIRST Robotics Competition Season". FIRST. 2020-09-24. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  3. "CHS Events". FIRST Chesapeake Events. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  4. Hutchinson, Steve Garagiola, Derick (2020-03-30). "Romeo robotics team builds masks to help those on front lines of coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis". WDIV. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  5. Hosford, Joy. "Billerica robotics team members talk about how the canceled season could bring success". Wicked Local. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  6. "The 2021 Season". FIRST. 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  7. "FIRST Robotics Competition 2021 Game Manual and Team Update 00" (PDF). firstfrc.blob.core.windows.net. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  8. "Update: 2020-2021 FIRST Season Extended". FIRST. 2020-09-08. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  9. "2021 FIRST Robotics Competition Season Details" (PDF). FIRST. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  10. "Innovation at FIRST". FIRST. 2020-11-03. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  11. "FIRST Robotics Competition 2021 At Home Challenges Manual" (PDF). firstfrc.blob.core.windows.net. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  12. "COVID-19 UPDATE – FIM". Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  13. Becker-Blau, Renee (2020-08-06). "FIN Announcement: Statewide Events Update - Coronavirus (COVID-19)". FIRST Indiana Robotics. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  14. "2020-2021 Event Info from the Executive Director". FIRST in Texas Foundation. 2020-09-04. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  15. "2021 Remote Events - FIRST North Carolina". www.firstnorthcarolina.org. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  16. "מכתב לקהילת FIRST לקראת קיקאוף עונת INFINITE RECHARGE 2021 | FIRST ישראל". FIRST Israel (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  17. "NE FIRST » Blog Archive » New England Launches BAE Systems Mini-Bot Challenge". Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  18. "FIRST Canada Update – August 2020 – FIRST Robotics Canada". Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  19. "2021 FIRST Robotics Competition Season". Georgia FIRST Robotics. 2021-01-08. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  20. "Infinite Recharge Coach Email Volume 6". firstwa.org. 2021-01-08. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
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