Welcome to our discussion forum for FIRST participants!
Altair EmployeeHello and welcome to anyone involved with FIRST Robotics Competitions -- especially students and adult mentors! (And just in case you have not yet seen our helpful web page describing Altair Support for FIRST Robotics, I highly encourage you to check it out!)
This dedicated forum is intended to enable your FIRST team to know how Altair's technologies for engineering design & simulation, data analytics and AI/ML could help you build better-performing robots, faster.
Note that, while you can ask questions here about any topics of interest to you, our Altair experts are best prepared to help you by answering questions about 2 main topics: 1 pertaining to use of the Altair Inspire software + 1 pertaining to use of the Altair AI Studio software (formerly known as Altair RapidMiner Studio).
We are focusing on these 2 products because...
- Inspire is useful for many types of design & engineering simulations. For FIRST teams specifically, we expect it can provide value for at least four relevant applications:
- for avoiding broken parts -- by doing structural analysis simulations.
- for lightweighting your robot -- by using topology optimization to remove mass from parts without reducing their structural integrity beyond acceptable limits.
- for enabling the cost-affordable 3D-printing (i.e., additive manufacturing) of your lightweighted parts.
- for ensuring the desired movements of your robot to yield optimal scoring -- by performing dynamic, physics-based motion simulations.
- Similarly, AI Studio (formerly RapidMiner) is useful for many types of data science applications. For FIRST teams, we expect it can provide value for at least 1 relevant application:
- for rapidly selecting the best alliance partners -- by readily analyzing data in near-real-time pertaining to the performance of other robots.
So, feel free to ask for any help you need pertaining to designing, building and operating your FIRST robots. And, in the FIRST spirit of "coopertition" and "gracious professionalism", please consider giving back whenever you're able -- by sharing your knowledge as your proficiency with Altair products grows over time.
Lastly and again, just in case you were not previously aware... the following four recorded presentations from Altair’s 2024 Future.Industry virtual global event all directly pertain to FIRST, including several that were part of our “Academic Track” at that event:
- A “Fireside Chat” between FIRST founder Dean Kamen and Altair founder Jim Scapa about innovation and entrepreneurship.
- A “Fireside Chat” between FIRST founder Dean Kamen and me (Jim Ryan) about our mutual goal of inspiring and providing opportunities for kids in FIRST Robotics.
- How a FIRST FRC team (#67) benefitted from use of Altair’s Design & Simulation software – told by a high school student.
- How a FIRST FRC team (#3604) benefitted from use of Altair’s Data Science & AI software – told by an adult mentor and FIRST alumnus (and Altair employee).
I hope this information can help maximize the value that you derive from using Altair software with your FIRST robot!