Baseball wasn’t the only event to take place at Minute Maid Park this Sunday; in addition to the Astros vs. Blue Jays game, there was also a taste of FIRST Robotics in and around the stadium. Texas Torque joined forces with plenty of teams from around Houston to demonstrate their hard work and to spread the importance of science and technology in their community. An event of this magnitude had never been attempted at Minute Maid Park, and Texas Torque was happy to be the first team to organize such an astounding and influential event.

Starting early in the morning, robots could be seen everywhere in the park. In Union Station, teams demonstrated their robots from Rebound Rumble, much to the entertainment of the crowds. Many school-aged children got the opportunity to ask questions about anything and everything, and our team members were happy to encourage them to join FIRST robotics teams in their schools. Just outside the gates, robots from Ultimate Ascent performed alongside our championship-winning machine, powering frisbees into a practice goal set up before the game. As game spectators walked along the park’s inner rim, all teams had robots on display, ranging from FRC robots from previous years to VEX and FIRST Lego League (FLL) robots. We were happy to answer any questions from the crowd and were proud to promote FIRST in our community.

Overall, the event was a huge success, and Texas Torque certainly appreciated the amount of support by the Astros’ administration and management. Due to this support, we hope to be able to repeat the event in the years to come (and perhaps get the chance to throw the “FIRST” pitch of the game).

The following teams were in attendance:

118, The Robonauts

624, CRyptonite

1477, Texas Torque

2936, The Gatorzillas

3103, Iron Plaid

3847, Spectrum

4587, Jersey Voltage

4589, AdamasBots

Texas Torque would like to thank these teams again for their time, support, and participation in this premiere event.