Categorized | Sci-Tech

Ka‘u among teams to compete in robotics championship

MEDIA RELEASE

WHO: Eight Hawaii student robotics teams will be among the more than 10,000 young people who will compete with 500 robots on six fields at the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Championship.

Seven FIRST Robotics teams advanced to the Championship by winning a regional competition or earning a top regional award:

* Waialua High School: Regional Winner – Hawaii, San Diego, Arizona; Regional Chairman’s Award – Arizona Regional
* McKinley High School: Regional Winner – Hawaii
* Campbell High School: Regional Winner – Hawaii
* Kalani High School: Regional Chairman’s Award – Hawaii
* Kauai Bots: Engineering Inspiration Award – Hawaii Regional
* Ka‘u High School: Rookie All-Star Award – Hawaii Regional
* Sacred Hearts Academy: Qualified based on performance at 2009 Championships.

The eighth team, the Punabots Blue, an independent team made up of fourth and fifth grade students from Punahou and Hanahauoli, won the Hawaii FIRST LEGO League robotics championship last December.

WHAT: The FIRST Championship is the culmination of the season’s FIRST programs, bringing together three separate robotics competitions for the ultimate Sport for the Mind. The event includes the FIRST Robotics Competition Championship, the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship, and the FIRST LEGO League World Festival.

WHEN: April 15 – 17

WHERE: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

DETAILS: The FIRST Robotics Competition challenges teams of young people and their mentors to solve a common engineering problem in a six-week timeframe using a standard kit of parts that included motors, batteries, a control system and a mix of automation components – but no instructions.

This year’s challenge, “BREAKAWAY,” is a robotics version of soccer. Two alliances of three teams compete on a 27-by-54-foot field with bumps, attempting to earn points by collecting soccer balls in goals using their remote-controlled robot. Additional bonus points will be earned for each robot suspended in air and not touching the field at the end of the match.

Robotics provides students with a strong educational foundation in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and offers them opportunities to solve problems, work as teams and think analytically – skills useful in any career.

For more information, visit the Hawaii Robotics Organizing Committee Web site: www.hawaiiroc.org

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

 

Quantcast