More than 10,000 Middle School, High School & College Participants from Nearly 20 Countries Gathered to Compete in the World’s Fastest Growing Robotics Movement

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich., April 23, 2012 – The Golden State grew a bit brighter this weekend as more than 10,000 participants comprised of middle school, high school and university students, educators and team mentors from nearly 20 countries around the globe showcased their smarts in the fierce three-day 2012 VEX Robotics Competition World Championship at the Anaheim Convention Center. After the final points were tallied, the winning alliance from each division was comprised of teams from Canada, China, Mexico, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the United States, who took home the coveted World Championship trophies.

Six hundred of the nearly 5,000 VEX Robotics Competition teams qualified to face-off in the robot ring against their toughest competitors at this year’s VEX Robotics Competition World Championship after battling in more than 300 local, regional and national tournaments around the world during the season. Beginning on Thursday, the global competition kicked off with preliminary qualification rounds. Friday morning, students took part in the opening ceremonies parade of nations, bearing their respective countries’ brilliant flags, followed by a series of intense head-to-head matches throughout the afternoon. The festivities reached a crescendo on Saturday as the division champion alliances worked together to defeat their competition in the Finals. Kicking-off the Finals, participants were set aglow by iLuminate, the awe-inspiring dance-in-the-dark sensation that took audiences by storm last summer on the hit television series “America’s Got Talent.” The performance was led by Miral Kotb, iLuminate founder and software engineer who developed the patent-pending wireless lighting technology.

The Tournament Champion Alliance from the Middle School Division was comprised of team 8066A, Atom, from Singapore; team 5199A, Shanghai Shibei Junior Middle School, from Shanghai, China; and team 2300B, Robinson Middle School B, from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Tournament Champion Alliance from the High School Division was comprised of team 569, NHRC, from Murrieta, Calif.; team 2900A, SymbiOHsis, from Auckland, New Zealand; and team 2W, Robosavages, from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Tournament Champion from the College Division was team TGTZ1, from La Universidad Tecnológica de Gutierrez Zamora, in Veracruz, Mexico.

In addition, one team from each of the three divisions was presented with an Excellence Award, the highest honor in the VEX Robotics Competition, given to the teams with the most well-rounded VEX Robotics Program. Team 2177, The F.I.V.E, from Oconomowoc, Wis. took home the Middle School Excellence Award; team 3018, Techna Pwn Robotics, from Council Bluffs, Iowa took home the High School Excellence Award; and team TSM1, Semex1, from Tejupilco, Mexico took home the College Division Excellence Award.

“We worked so hard to get here, and our whole team rose to the challenge that was before us in ways we didn’t even know were possible,” said Vinayak Pillai from team 569, NHRC, part of the High School Division Tournament Champion Alliance from Murrieta, Calif. “Each year VEX Worlds gets bigger, becomes more impressive, and the competition gets fiercer. Even if we didn’t win today, this event is something that we will remember for the rest of our lives.”

“It is so inspiring to see the high-level of energy, dedication and professionalism that teams from around the world bring into the arena at the VEX Robotics Competition World Championship,” said Jason Morrella, president of the Robotics Education and Competition (REC) Foundation. “If the excitement we see each year at the VEX Robotics Competitions is anything compared to these kids’ in-classroom fervor for science, technology, engineering and math, these students are destined to succeed in any STEM related career of their choosing and become the leaders and innovators of our future.”

When students were not competing in the robot ring, they had the once-in-a-lifetime the chance to meet Nobel Prize Award Winner and Stanford University Professor Emeritus of Physics, Dr. Douglas D. Osheroff, who was present signing autographs and taking pictures alongside a VEX Claw Bot that held the gold medallion. Attendees were also inspired by replicas of NASA’s famous Mars Exploration Rovers Curiosity and Opportunity, which were on display during all three days of the competition. Additionally, FutureLab: The Innovation Expo gave young students hands on learning experiences to encourage them to consider studying scientific and technological ideas and processes involved with nanotechnology, deep space exploration, robotics, alternate energy, virtual reality and human genomics.

For those competitors eager to get a jump on next year’s robot designs, the 2012/2013 VEX Robotics Competition game Sack Attack was unveiled at the tournament on Saturday afternoon. The object of the game is to attain a higher score than your opponent by picking up colored bean bags and placing them in a scoring trough that runs the length of the field. Robots will also gain points for finishing in designated areas at the end of a match.

Partners and sponsors of the 2012 VEX Robotics Competition World Championship include Autodesk, NASA, EMC Corporation, the Northrop Grumman Foundation, Microchip Technology, intelitek, Robotics Academy at Carnegie Mellon University, Innovation First International, the United States Coast Guard Academy, the Technology Student Association, the CREATE Foundation and the FUTURE Foundation. In addition, VEX Robotics continually reaches students in the classroom through key partnerships with notable education-based organizations, Project Lead the Way (PLTW) and Technology Students Association (TSA).

In addition to the Excellence Awards and Middle School, High School and College Champion titles, several other technical and value-based awards were presented to the below listed teams and individuals in each program for excelling in the following categories:

Excellence:

• Team 3018, Techna Pwn Robotics, from Council Bluffs, Iowa
• Team 1200C, Technical Breakdown, from Neenah, Wisc
• Team 1069E, Critical Mass, from Berthoud, Colo.
• Team 4109, 808 Robotics, Pearl City, Hawaii
• Team 2177, The F.I.V.E., from Oconomowoc, Wisc.
• Team 169Y, The Cavalry, from Haverford, Pa.
• Team TSM1, Semex1, Tejupilco, Mexico

Amaze

• Team 720P, aMAX, from North Shore City, Auckland, New Zealand
• Team 3057, Tenacious Tech, Mendham, N.J.
• Team 1900W, Team GMA, College Park, Ga.
• Team 404D, ECR 404D, from Woodland Hills, Calif.
• Team 6966A, GONBOTZ, from Mexico
• Team 80X, VEXMEN:X-23, from Exton, Pa.
• Team TSEL, Selva, from Chiapas, Mexico

Build

• Team 918B, Panther Bots, from Las Vegas, Nev.
• Team 8066B, Zeus, from Singapore
• Team 355B, APEX, from Batavia, Ill.
• Team 2205A, The Pioneers, from Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
• Team 10D, Exothermic Imension, from Redmond, Wash.
• Team 1069D, Palladium, from Berthoud, Colo.
• Team MESS, aMEss, from North Shore City, New Zealand

Community

• Team 8058A, The Future, from Singapore
• Team 2931B, Prime, from Auckland, New Zealand
• Team 36, Unidentified, from Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
• Team 81A, VEXMEN: Apocalypse, from Downingtown, Pa.
• Team 4191, Raptor Robotics, from Monticello, Utah
• Team 542, WSH Robotics, from Cerritos, Calif.

Create

• Team 8066C, Thor, from Singapore
• Team 1001E, Comet Tech, from Greentown, Ind.
• Team 2091, FMHS Robotics, from Flower Mound, Texas
• Team 44, Green Egg Robotics, from Oakham, Mass.
• Team 974, Hazardous, from Loveland, Colo.
• Team 1471A, the Third Wave, from Fountain Hills, Ariz.
• Team USU, Utah State University, from Logan, Utah

Design

• Team 3876C, Arkham Asylum Members, from Longmont, Colo.
• Team 3946A, Sun Devils, from Englewood, Colo.

Educate

• Team 359A, Hawaiian Kids, from Waialua, Hawaii
• Team 2273, Caribbean School – ADV MS, from Ponce, Puerto Rico

Energy

• Team 1360, Vibots, from Brandon, Fla.
• Team 80N, VEXMEN: Nightcrawler, from Exton, Pa.
• Team 4740B, Elroudah2Robots, from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
• Team 5589A, Wesley1, from Hong Kong
• Team 687N, Cams, from Carson, Calif.
• Team 675A, RoboDragons, from Lawrenceville, Ga.

Innovate

• Team 8066B, Zues, from Singapore
• Team 575, Exothermic Haiku, from Redmond, Wash.
• Team PVTO, Valle De Toluca from Santiaguito Tlalcilalcali Almoloya De Juarez, Mexico

Inspire

• Team 24C, Super Sonic Sparks C, from New Windsor, Md.

Judges’

• Team 4318B, Bahrain Unified Team 1, from Manama, Bahrain
• Team 4131A, Bears, from Mexico City, Mexico
• Team 3685B, Searider Robotics, from Waianae, Hawaii
• Team 1241X, Theory6 Robotics, from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
• Team 5225A, E-Bots â•¥ – ions, from Ontario, Canada
• Team 3116, Control Freaks, from Stevenage, United Kingdom
• Team KTOR, Knights of the Olde Robotic, from Exton, Pa.

Promote

• Team 1118 and 1119, Sweetch Robotics, from Mexico City, Mexico

Sportsmanship

• Team 12W, Acme-VEXcellence, from McLean, Va.
• Team 8061D, Thundercat9, from Singapore
• Team 2921, Free Range Robotics, from North Shore City, Auckland, New Zealand
• Team 2218B, UGHS Blackhawks, from San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Team 2218A, UGHS Whitehawks, from San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Team 2213D, Lucchetti Robotic, from Arecibo, Puerto Rico
• Team NYIT, Bears, from Old Westbury, N.Y.

Support

• Team 8068A, Isotope, from Singapore
• Team 2281, MASTER1 Robotics Team Inc., from Morovis, Puerto Rico
• Team 2213A, Lucchetti Robotic, from Arecibo, Puerto Rico
• Team 7008B, PROROBE, from Porto Alegre, Brazil
• Team 1200B, Mainframe Meltdown, from Neenah, Wis.
• Team 2243B, Cupeyville School, from San Juan, Puerto Rico

Teamwork

• Team 4119A, Kohala Middle School, from Kapaau, Hawaii
• Team 394, Highlands Inter Robotics, from Pearl City, Hawaii
• Team 1437Z, Patriot Robotics, from Calabasas, Calif.
• Team 169A, The Cavalry, from Haverford, Pa.
• Team 2616, Army of Two, from Cherry Hill, N.J.
• Team 2616B, Black Tie Robotics, from Cherry Hill, N.J.

Think

• Team 394B, Highlands Inter Robotics, from Pearl City, Hawaii
• Team 4057C, SES-TSAN, from Hong Kong
• Team 3129A, Green MacHHHHine,vfrom Mountain View, Calif.
• Team 677, Montclair Robotics, from Montclair, N.J.
• Team 1241Q, THEORY6, from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
• Team 79C, Krunch, from Tarpon Springs, Fla.
• Team TFVZ, TSM2, from Tejupilco, Mexico

Robot Skills Champion

• Team 8066A, Atom, from Singapore

Programming Skills Champion

• Team 8061B, Leo8, from Singapore

Autodesk Inventor Digital Prototyping Challenge

• Team 550, AURA from Auckland, New Zealand

FUTURE Foundation Robot Construction Challenge

• Team 341, Iron Eagles, from Severn, Md.

EMC Robotics Team/Club Website Challenge

• Team 254, Cheesy Poofs, from San Jose, Calif.

RECF Team Educational Video

• Team 3129A, Green MacHHHHine, Mountain View, Calif.

VRC Game Design Animation Challenge

• Team 575, Exothermic Haiku, from Redmond, Wash.

Mentor of the Year

• Betsy Lamb from Vextreme Velocity in Cranbrook, Mich.
• Greg Cheslock from St. Mary Central High School in Neenah, Wisc.

Partner of the Year

• Frank Flores accepted on behalf of the Northrop Grumman Foundation

Teacher of the Year

• Alan Alessi from Team 2273, Caribbean School, Puerto Rico
• Megan Connolly from Team 169, The Cavalry, from Haverford Pa.

Volunteer of the Year

• Art Kimura & Renee Kimura from Hawaii
• Bart Nash from Carver Robotics Club in Leesburg, Fl.
• Greg Phillips from Governor Simcoe Secondary School in Ontario, Canada

STEM Hall of Fame Inductees

• Dave Lavery, Program Executive for Solar System Exploration, NASA
• Dr. Douglas Osheroff, co-recipient of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Physics, Professor at the Department of Physics at Stanford University
• Miral Kotb, founder of iLuminate

For more information about the VEX Robotics World Championship and this year’s award winners, please visit RobotEvents.com/championship.

About REC Foundation

The REC Foundation, standing for Robotics Education and Competition, is a 501© (3) non-profit organization, supports robotics and technology events and programs that aim to inspire and motivate students to advance in STEM education. In addition to supporting competitions for some of the world’s leading robotics platforms and organizations including VEX, TSA, BOTBALL and BEST, the foundation also provides program support and workshops focused on technology and professional development for educators – including the RobotEvents.com community portal website which helps promote multiple high quality programs and provides online registration and event pages for hundreds of events around the world.

About VEX Robotics

VEX Robotics, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Innovation First International, is a leading provider of educational robotics products to middle schools, high schools and colleges around the world. The VEX Robotics Design System, winner of the 2006 Best of Innovations Award at CES, was built from the ground up and designed to be an affordable, accessible and scalable platform used to teach science, technology, engineering and math education worldwide. The company has over 250 man years of experience supporting educational robotics programs and extensive engineering resources on two continents dedicated to the VEX Robotics platform. For more information on the VEX Robotics Design System, visit www.vexrobotics.com.

Download the full PDF of this press release here.

 

W.A.S.A.B.I. Robotics, winners of the 2011 VEX Robotics World Championship, were the recipients of the Youth of the Year award announced by TechFlash at its 3^rd Annual TechFlash Newsmakers Awards, or “Flashies” which honors achievements in the technology industry. Thousands of readers voted on TechFlash.com in reader polls throughout November and the results were revealed during the Experience Music Project for The Flashies.

“We had an impressive slate of nominees again this year which illustrates the depth of talent and leadership in our tech community,” said Gordon Prouty, publisher of TechFlash and its sister publication, Puget Sound Business Journal. “We started this program two years ago because we believe it’s important to recognize local innovation and to honor the people and companies behind the headlines.”

W.A.S.A.B.I. Robotics is composed of an elite group of high school students that is dedicated to competing in robotics at the highest levels and spreading awareness regarding robotics and STEM education throughout the Bellevue and Seattle area. They were honored for receiving 1^st place at the 2011 VEX Robotics World Championship in Florida. Additionally, they won two first place awards and the tournament championship at a Space Elevator/ Robotics conference in August and another first place at the Jumpstart Tournament at Redmond High School in November. The team includes Isaku Kamada, Kevin Tam, Ryan Badiee, Julie Eng, Akash Gupta, Grace Hsieh, Kevin Li and Zane Zook. W.A.S.A.B.I is primarily funded by Big Brains Education, a tutoring and supplemental education organization located in Bellevue, WA, along with private donations and matching funds from Microsoft.

David Zook, the team’s advisor said, “I am so proud of this group of kids and their ability, focus, desire and passion. It’s wonderful to see them getting the recognition they deserve for their hard work. This award is a testament to just how special they are.”

Visit WASABI Robotics on the web at http://tinyurl.com/wasabi-robotics

 

Bomb squad technicians are beginning to rely more heavily on innovations in robotics as they look for new ways increase safety within a dangerous line of work. As a result, robotics competitions, like the one recently held in Oklahoma City, are constantly held to find new solutions to old problems, according to News Oklahoma.

On Wednesday, October 12, teams from the FBI, the U.S. Army, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County sheriff's department, and other regions came together at State Fair Park for the annual Bomb Squad Rodeo. During the event, teams were required to participate in five different scenarios that had real-life applications.

One of the scenarios had teams open up a bathroom door and locate a backpack hidden inside of the facility, the news source reported. This particular test demonstrated a machine's ability to operate without the physical assistance of a human, which is like real life since the robots are usually controlled remotely from a safe distance away.

Another scenario involved the machines retrieving a cup of water and pouring it into a jug by itself. Many of the participants found this challenge to be the most difficult and important of the five. This is because it shows how delicate and flexible a robot is, which is important because sometimes a robot may be required to carry an individual away from a dangerous situation. However, since some of the devices can easily snap a human bone, the delicacy of the action is the most important, according to News Oklahoma.

Despite the complex technology and competitive spirit on display, the event retains a friendly environment because it's for a good cause: safety.

"For the most part, we all use the same type of equipment," Oklahoma City police captain, Dexter Nelson, told the news provider. "The reason for that is … if some other agency would need to use our equipment, they would already be familiar with it."

Other robots, like the Gemini-Scout Mine Rescue Robot, perform other safety tasks like navigating through collapsed mines to find injured people. This robot is less than two feet tall and can travel through 18 inches of water, according to TG Daily.

Whether operating in mine shafts or performing bomb removal tasks, innovations in robotics can help save lives.

Students across Alabama are gearing up for a series of BEST Robotics competitions that will take place over the next few weeks.

Originally founded in 1993, BEST is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting science, technology, mathematics and science education in the hopes of inspiring youth to pursue careers in related fields. Beginning with a membership of just over 200 students from a dozen schools, the volunteer-based program now partners with 700 schools and more than 10,000 students, according to the BEST website.

Over the next few weeks, robotics teams from schools across Alabama will get their chance to compete. Students from Hoover, Alabama, recently tested out their creations at a local mall, according to Alabama Live.

"Not only do they learn what engineers do, they learn the engineering process," University of Alabama at Birmingham professor Hassan Moore told the news outlet. "You design something, test it [and] redesign it."

According to the news provider, Hoover students have been tasked with designing remote controlled robots capable of locating and retrieving several "bugs" laid across bumpy, challenging terrain. Just miles away, students from Pell City High School are finalizing their own plans for the competition.

"The whole concept behind BUGS! is that the teams engineer and build a robot that can safely and quickly capture and contain different species of bugs and provide them with food," Central Alabama BEST hub director Brian Gann told the Daily Home.

The six-week process leading up to the competition will promote skill development in a variety of areas. According to the Daily Home, contestants will work with wide range of statistical and design software when creating and testing their robots. But they will also be asked to compile and present a marketing presentation explaining their creative process to a panel of judges.

"It is a comprehensive program that gives students the opportunity to learn critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, teamwork and other leadership skills," Gann told the news source. "It is truly a workforce development project."

The robotics competitions are just a few of the technology initiatives popping up across the region. In Alabama's quest to become a research and development hub for leading engineering operations, developers are already halfway to completion on a state-of-the-art robotics park. Alabama Live is also reporting that a number of ideas and collaborative partnerships may have been generated at the recent Alabama Launchpad Innovation and Entrepreneurship Conference.