More than 150 high-school students from throughout Florida will compete in the 3rd Annual USF Poly RoboBattle Jan. 29, 10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Contestants include the Smoke and Mirrors team, which includes members from Lakeland, that won the world championship last year.
The RoboBattle is a FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Tech Challenge regional qualifying competition. The event helps students learn to design and build robots with both radio- and autonomous-controlled behavior using the TETRIX robotic design system. Student teams develop robots that can perform the tasks defined in the Challenge, and then compete with, and against, other teams in qualifying competitions and a state championship. The USF Poly RoboBattle is the last qualifying competition before the state championship.
“The FIRST Tech Challenge lets high-school students experience the fun and excitement of complex problem solving in a positive and supportive team environment,” says Dr. Naomi Boyer, assistant vice president of USFP’s Extended University. “It also helps them discover the excitement and rewards of science, technology, and engineering.”
Boyer also serves as director of the Central Florida Gifted & Talented Institute at USFP, which includes the Hot 2 Bot Applied Robotics Academy and other programs for which registration is now open.
Competing in the USF Poly RoboBattle will be 14 teams from Lakeland, Winter Haven, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Orlando, Oviedo, Miami, Longwood, Palm Harbor, Seminole, Fort Myers and Boca Raton.
| Preliminary Schedule of Events
7:00 – 7:30 a.m. Team check in 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Robot Inspection 8:00 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. Driver & Coaches Meeting 8:00 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. Judges Interviews & Practice Rounds 10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Opening Ceremony 10:15 a.m. – 12:00 a.m. Qualifying Rounds 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Lunch 1:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Qualifying Rounds 3:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. Awards Ceremony 4:14 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Alliance Selection 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Elimination Matches 6:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. Winning and Finalist Award Ceremony |
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For more information contact Christina Pixley at cpixley@poly.usf.edu or (863) 667-7741.
