There are two animation contests each year. One is during the fall, and is usually about safety. The other one is during the build season, and the theme varies from year to year. In both cases, only a limited amount of time is given to create the animation (usually 5-6 weeks). However, we can still work on generic objects (cars, our robots, etc) during the off-season. This makes it easier to get the basics into the animation right away.
More information can be found at the Autodesk FIRSTBase Site
The Sidewalk Sensors for the Blind are a tool to make road crossing for blind people more safe. The invention consists of three parts: the stick, the sensors, and the car receiver. The stick is specially designed to help the blind person be safe when crossing the road. The sensors are placed in unobtrusive places on the edges of sidewalks (mostly near roads, but they can also be in other areas). When the tip of the stick passes through the sensors, the stick vibrates and the blind person is warned about the proximity and conditions (cars, traffic, etc) of the road. The road conditions are collected autonomously by the sensors. At the same time the blind person is warned, nearby drivers are warned through their car receivers about the blind person.
Download the animation (QuickTime). This file is 150MB, and this is how it was submitted. To download the animation, right-click and click "Save Taget As..."
Look at our Animation history!