"When the show began, the idea that average people could build their own complex gadgets was a fringe notion at best. Today, more than 400,000 students worldwid

"When the show began, the idea that average people could build their own complex gadgets was a fringe notion at best. Today, more than 400,000 students worldwide gather to compete in FIRST Robotics competitions." I would credit that to more powerful, cheaper and easier to work with electronic components and kits (e.g. Raspberry PI) becoming available rather than TV show.