When BattleBots first became a television hit in the early 2000s, most of the high school roboticists who will compete this month at the international FIRST Championship, April 26–29 at The Dome at America’s Center, were still in diapers. The teens, who’ve since ditched the Pampers for pliers and pulley systems, will race homemade remote-controlled robots through a series of steampunk-themed tasks.
1,500: College scholarships, totaling $50 million, to be granted to FIRST participants and alumni
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12,500: High school competitors representing more than 700 teams and 30 countries
700: Student-built robots competing in St. Louis
150: Tons of materials that FIRST shipped to the competing teams last year, including 60-plus miles of wire and cable
6: Years in a row that the FIRST Championships have been hosted here
