High school teams battle custom robots at Western competition

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Western University’s Thompson Arena is playing host to a whole new kind of competition.

Robots are rolling in this weekend for the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics competition – an event that’s drawn more than 1,000 high school students from across the region.

Teams of students in grades 9 to 12 build and program 54-kilogram robots to compete in a special arena. The two-day competition at Western drew students from across Southwestern Ontario including several London-area high schools.

The specifics of the challenge were announced in January, Saunders secondary school teacher and robotics club liaison Mike Gerrits said. Teams get a limited time to fine-tune their robot to meet the demands of the competition.

“It’s a lot of work, a lot of programming,” he said from the sidelines Saturday.

This year, the robots are competing head-to-head in a deep space themed arena, attaching hatch panels and loading cargo.

Robot operators are also contending with simulated sandstorms – panels that will temporarily block their view of the arena – while they’re competing.

The challenges are designed to test students’ problem-solving, engineering, computer coding, design and teamwork skills.

“I just love being part of a team,” said Chatham Kent Cyber Pak member Christina Badder, who helps program her team’s robot.

The team is made up of high school students from across Chatham-Kent and relies on sponsorship to operate. Badder, a Grade 11 student, has taken computer science classes, but nothing illuminates the concepts more to her than working on the team’s robot.

“I’ve learned so much from my mentors,” she said, adding she’s considering a career in computer science.

The more than 40 teams at the Western competition are vying for a spot in the Ontario championships in Mississauga April 13 and 14. Winning teams from the Ontario championship will move on to compete at the First Robotics world championships in Houston or Detroit on the final two weekends of April.

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