KAPA‘A — The Kaua‘i Robotics Alliance is hosting a Kaua‘i Robotics Expo, Saturday at the All Saints Gym in Kapa‘a from 1 to 3 p.m.
Everyone from students, parents, and those looking for sponsorship opportunities will be able to find something between the robot demonstrations and information sessions about the FIRST robotics programs on Kaua‘i that is open to youth of all ages from 8 years old.
“Our FIRST Tech Challenge teams had a great season last year,” said the Kaua‘i Robotics Alliance. “The St. Catherine’s team finished second in the state competition, and earned an opportunity to attend the World Championships in Houston, Texas in April. We are looking forward to kicking off the 2022 season on Sept. 10 when the new game is announced. This year, the Kaua‘i Robotics Alliance, following two years of remote competitions due to the COVID-19, will be hosting one, or two live tournaments here on Kaua‘i in November.”
Students can learn to build, program, and drive robots as well as scholarship opportunities that exist, and how to “jump start” a college resume, the Kaua‘i Robotics Alliance said. Information on how to form a team and compete for an opportunity to attend and participate in the state robotics championships on O‘ahu, and the World Championships in Houston, Texas will also be available.
Teachers can learn about professional development opportunities and how to bring a strong robotics program to their school, or classroom.
Parents are welcome to find out how to form a robotics team and the training that is available for new teams. They will also discover information on a team the kids can join, volunteer opportunities to help with competitions and other activities, have fun building robots while helping the youth to succeed, and even become a team sponsor.
Business sponsorship opportunities also exist and welcome interest from business owners.
“The KauaiBots all-island, high-school FIRST team had a great season last year, traveling to O‘ahu in late March to compete against, and with teams from across the state, and Japan,” the Kaua‘i Robotics Alliance reported. “Their robot was able to accurately score by shooting balls into a high goal, both autonomously, or pre-programmed, and under driver control using sophisticated sensors and vision-processing. The robot earned additional points by lifting itself onto a steel bar. The KauaiBots team, ending the qualification portion with the sixth-highest scoring statistics, advanced to the quarterfinals as part of an alliance with two teams from Japan.
This year, following the launch in early January, the KauaiBots will again be hard at work solving this year’s engineering challenge and preparing for the Hawai‘i competition. And, if funding permits, a second competition on the mainland, the Kaua‘i Robotics Alliance said.
The Kaua‘i Robotics Alliance is a nonprofit charitable organization that promotes Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education through robotics-related activities for all ages of students on Kaua‘i.
