Schools

Stabler to Host Youth Robotics Competition

Which group of high schoolers can build the best robot? 50 teams from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware are coming to Lehigh University this weekend to find out.

 

Lehigh University’s Stabler Arena this weekend is hosting a unique competition for young high school tech whizzes.

The skill being tested in the competition, which will take place on Friday and Saturday, is the ability to work in teams to build simple robots from component parts—without blueprints.

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About 50 teams from schools in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware are participating.

According to a news release from the event’s promoter, “The Mid-Atlantic Robotics Region Championship resembles a raucous sporting event. Each robot competes against others to fling Frisbee-like discs into goals of varying point values over a two-minute, 15-second period. Most robots are about the size of a small chest freezer.

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“Each team is provided the same basic components to build their robots but no blueprint is provided,” the release continues “The result is a diverse collection of cleverly crafted machines.”

Event organizer, Mid-Atlantic Robotics, is a non-profit affiliated with FIRST Robotics, an organization that inspires youth and promotes interest in science and technology through robotic games.

FIRST stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.

Winners of the competition at Lehigh will advance to the FIRST Robotics World Championship in St. Louis in late April.

The Mid-Atlantic Robotics Region Championship will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is free.


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