Australia's Youngest Engineers to Innovate Using Altium Designer

SYDNEY, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Altium is adding a local element to its FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) sponsorship, supporting the first Australian team to enter the worldwide competition.

The FRC is an annual robot design competition organized by FIRST, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering a greater understanding and appreciation of science and technology. Designed to inspire young people to innovate, the FRC challenges teams of students to develop a robot in six weeks using a standard kit of parts and a common set of rules. The competition attracts thousands of students and is televised by stations around the world.

This year Altium is sponsoring the Australian FRC team as well as providing all 1,800 FRC teams with a 12-month license of its electronics design software, Altium Designer. This gives young engineers real-life experience with the same electronics design tool used by organizations that include NASA, Cessna, Cochlear and the Volkswagen Group of America.

Altium's extended support also sees engineers from Altium's research and development team mentor the students.

"The FIRST Robotics Competition provides a wonderful opportunity for young engineering minds to experience science and technology in a fun and competitive environment," said Matt Schwaiger, senior vice president of global customer success for Altium. "We are proud to be fostering the talents of these students and providing them with all the tools and support they need to excel in the FIRST Robotics Competition."

The FRC Championship will be held April 15-17, 2010 in Atlanta's Georgia Dome.

"Australia doesn't produce enough of its own engineers and we can't afford to wait until kids are at HSC level before we start trying to get them interested," said Australian team coordinator, Associate Professor Mike Heimlich.

"This program is designed to get kids excited about engineering, science and technology by giving them the opportunity to see what a fun and creative process working in this field can be."

About Altium

Altium Limited (ASX:ALU) provides next generation electronics design software that breaks down the barriers to innovation. Altium's unified electronics design environment links all aspects of electronics product design into one process, in a single application. This helps electronics designers harness the latest devices and technologies, manage their projects across broad design 'ecosystems', and create connected, intelligent designs.

Founded in 1985, Altium has headquarters in Sydney, sales offices in the United States, Europe, China, and resellers in all other major markets. For more information, visit www.altium.com.

Altium, Altium Designer and LiveDesign, and their respective logos, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Altium Limited, or its subsidiaries. All other registered or unregistered trademarks mentioned in this release are the property of their respective owners, and no trademark rights to the same are claimed.

SOURCE Altium Limited