Once upon a time, robots were a mere figment of the sci-fi fantasy — human-resembling androids that threatened to leverage their mechanical autonomy to take over the world.
But today, youth are designing and maneuvering the machines themselves to compete in an upcoming soccer tournament thanks to the Greater D.C. Regional FIRST Robotics Competition.
FIRST, or “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology”, is a group that through interactive programs aims to foster youth interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The annual regional sporting competition is set for March 28 – 29 at the George Mason University Patriot Center and is forecasted to draw high school student teams from more than 55 area high schools to compete in the soccer tournament for robots.
FIRST revealed in January that the theme or “game” for the annual robotics competition would be a soccer tournament, and participating teams received kits of parts and had five weeks to design and build the robot’s core systems ahead of the March 28 event.
Champions from next weekend’s event will travel to St. Louis, Mo. to participate with teams from varying regions in the FIRST World Championship.
For further information about the event, its sponsors or programs, please visit the group’s website.
