High school robot enthusiasts participate in FIRST robotics contest at UW

WATERLOO - Robot enthusiasts from high schools across Ontario will compete next week in the first round of an international robotics competition at the University of Waterloo.

The FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition challenges teams of high school students and their mentors from around the world to build robots to qualify for a final event to be held this April in the United States. The robots are built in a six-week period using a standard parts kit and common set of rules.

This year, teams are building robots to play a game where the objective is to score points by manoeuvring 40-inch (approximately 1-metre) ten-pound (4.5-kilogram) balls around a race track as many times as possible. Teams score bonus points for being able to hurdle the ball over an overhead bar and recover it.

The Waterloo regional competition, open to the public, will be held Thursday through Saturday (March 20-22) in UW's physical activities complex. Admission is free.

"Through FIRST, kids realize that building a robot can be fun and cool," says Rob Gorbet, a UW professor of electrical and computer engineering who helped bring the event to the Waterloo campus. "It gives them very real role models, from outside the worlds of professional sports and entertainment. It's about opening their eyes to careers in math, engineering, science and technology -- and it works."

"There is nothing like the clashes you see on the robo-warrior programs," adds Ian Mackenzie, a one-time student participant and current planning committee chair for FIRST Robotics Waterloo Regional. "This is really about making science, math, engineering and technology as cool for kids as sports are today. The energy, pace and excitement of the competition will make it fun for the whole family."

Thirty teams involving about 600 students will participate in the event -- 29 from Ontario and one from Michigan. Among the teams is one from Jacob Hespeler secondary school in Cambridge and another from Our Lady of Lourdes in Guelph. Although most come from the Toronto area, many represent rural towns from across southwestern Ontario.

UW is one of two Canadian venues hosting a regional FIRST competition in 2008. The other Canadian regional takes place March 27-29 at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga.

The annual contest draws more than 1,500 teams in regional competitions in Canada, the United States, Israel and Brazil. The final championship will be held April 17-19 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

The high-tech sporting competitions are the result of brainstorming, teamwork and mentoring. Referees oversee the competitions and judges present awards to teams for design, technology, sportsmanship and commitment.

Major sponsors for the Waterloo regional competition include Research In Motion, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, the Ontario government and UW.

To learn more about FIRST Robotics, visit link The Canadian site includes information on registering, as well as photos and video from past competitions.