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Robots To Open Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Texas_Torque_First_Robotics_Macys_Thanksgiving

Robots will be will be opening the 87th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 28, 2013 in New York City. Every year, this Emmy Award winning tradition is seen by more than 3.5 million people in New York and 50 million people at home, all tuned in to see giant balloons, one-of-a-kind floats, and now – robots!

Five FIRST Robotics Competition teams will represent FIRST and will travel across the country, along with their robots, to New York City to lead the parade.

The teams are: 

  • Team 1538, The Holy Cows, from San Diego, Calif.;
  • Team 1477, Texas Torque, from The Woodlands, Texas;
  • Team 180, S.P.A.M., from Stuart, Fla.;
  • Team 16, The Bomb Squad, from Mountain Home, Ark.; and
  • Team 25, Raider Robotix, from North Brunswick, N.J.

The robots leading the 2013 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade were designed and built for the 2013 FRC Ultimate Ascent season challenge, and have been modified by the students to perform tasks specifically for the parade.

Texas Torque’s robot, Sonic, will cut the ribbon to signal the official start of the parade. Following the ribbon cutting, the other teams’ robots will shoot confetti along the parade route. Students will then drive their 12v battery-operated, 150-pound robots down the entire 2.5 mile stretch, ending at Macy’s Herald Square.

[Image courtesy: Texas Torque]

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