Delphi and X-RiteTeam up with Grandville High School in Competition
13 March 2000
Delphi Automotive Systems and X-Rite, Incorporated Team up with Grandville High School in FIRST Robotics Competition
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., March 10 The Grandville High School
robotics team will compete this weekend at the FIRST Great Lakes Regional
Competition at Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, Mich. Delphi
Automotive Systems' Grand Rapids facility, along with X-Rite,
Incorporated of Grandville, Mich., are co-sponsors of this FIRST robotics
team. This weekend's competition will be the team's first exposure at putting
their robot to the ultimate test -- competing against more than 70 other
robots at the Regional Competition. The FIRST Great Lakes Regional
Competition will be held at Eastern Michigan University's Bowen Field House in
Ypsilanti, Mich.
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was
established in 1989 to interest and inspire students in mathematics and
science. The designing, building and testing of a robot built from a kit that
includes a microprocessor, radio-frequency transmitters and receivers,
electrical components, motors, batteries and other hardware, begins in January
and continues for six weeks.
Other sponsors of the team include HS Die & Engineering; CompuDie, Inc.,
Grandville Public Schools; Distribution Planning Inc.; Diesel Technology Co.;
Harlo Products Corp.; Cascade Engineering; and Die Tron, Inc.
This weekend, the Grandville team's robot, "Robodawgs" will compete
against more than 70 robotic teams in an athletic type competition that is
just as exciting to watch as the Final Four. The Great Lakes regional is
considered one of the most difficult regional events, and last year's national
champion is expected to be a tough competitor. Seeding matches will be held
on Friday, March 10, with the teams finishing their competition on Saturday,
March 11. In addition the Grandville team will host an invitational
competition at Grandville High School May 12-13.
The 2000 FIRST Competition has more than 370 teams competing in ten
regional competitions leading up to the national competition in Orlando, Fla.,
next month. Just like athletic competitions, the FIRST competition comes
complete with spectators, referees, cheerleaders, time clocks and lots of fun.
Grandville High School students, with strong support from parents, teachers,
and administration, work side-by-side with engineers and skilled tradespeople
at Delphi and X-Rite to design and fabricate a robot that meets strict
engineering parameters and is capable of performing a specific task. Since
receiving their kit in mid-January, the students have worked evenings and
weekends to complete the robot project in time for the competition.
X-Rite, Incorporated , headquartered in Grandville, Mich.,
along with Labsphere, its wholly owned New Hampshire subsidiary, maintains
offices in Massachusetts, Germany, England, Hong Kong, the Czech Republic,
France and Japan. X-Rite, Incorporated is the world's leading provider of
technically sophisticated instrumentation and user-friendly software solutions
for a wide variety of color-critical applications including corporate
branding, medical diagnostics, consumer products and on-line commerce. For
more information about X-Rite, visit its website at http://www.x-rite.com .
Delphi Automotive Systems, headquartered in Troy, Mich., USA, is a world
leader in transportation and mobile electronics components and systems
technology. Delphi's three business sectors -- Dynamics & Propulsion; Safety,
Thermal & Electrical Architecture; and Electronics & Mobile Communication --
provide comprehensive product solutions to complex customer needs. Delphi has
approximately 213,500 employees, and operates 175 wholly owned manufacturing
sites, 41 joint ventures, 53 customer centers and sales offices and 27
technical centers in 38 countries. Regional headquarters are located in
Paris, Tokyo and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Delphi can be found on the Internet at
http://www.delphiauto.com