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Siemens/Rochester Adams' Robot Battles at Epcot

23 April 1999

Siemens/Rochester Adams' Robot Battles at Epcot

    ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich., April 22 -- In Epcot Center, where
Disney's imagination brings the possibilities of the future into the present,
Rochester Adams High School students and Siemens Automotive engineers will
test the limits of their own imaginations.  A robot, they have designed and
built at Siemens Automotive's Auburn Hills facility, will go into
technological battle against approximately 276 robots from around the country.
    On April 22-24, high school and middle school teams throughout the U.S.
will compete in the National For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and
Technology (FIRST) Robotics Competition Championship, at Epcot Center,
Orlando, Fla.
    Finishing 33 out of 60 teams in the Great Lakes Regional Competition in
March, the Rochester Adams High School/Siemens Automotive team, consisting of
nearly 30 students and six engineers, spent seemingly endless hours over the
past few months designing and building a four-foot tall, 130 lb. robot for the
competition.
    "The regional competition was incredibly exciting," said Paul Slaby,
engineering assistant-technical services, Siemens Automotive.  "The students
did an outstanding job and we finished in the middle of the pack among
seasoned veterans of this competition.  These are very bright students with
promising futures in engineering, and this competition is a great way for them
to get their feet wet," he added.
    A number of metro Detroit corporations, including Siemens Automotive, play
an important role in the FIRST engineering competition.  In addition to
providing a monetary contribution, the companies team up with student squads
to provide insider knowledge and experience on how to brainstorm ideas, design
devices and put them to test.
    "Siemens' lifeblood is innovation and engineering.  If we do not become
involved in the education and the development of future engineers, our
survival as a company may hang in the balance," said Diane Bynam, director of
Human Resources, Siemens Automotive.  "Encouraging the study of science and
math at a younger age helps ensure a strong engineering workforce in the
future.  This competition enables our engineers to demonstrate to students the
fun and excitement of this field," she said.
    FIRST was founded in 1989 by inventor and technology wizard Dean Kamen in
an effort to generate an interest in science and technology among American
youth.
    Siemens Automotive is a tier-one supplier of automotive and electrical-
electronic systems and components with applications covering gasoline and
diesel powertrain systems, safety and chassis systems, body electronics,
electric motor drives and driver information systems.  Worldwide sales in
fiscal year 1997/1998 totaled $3.3 billion.