The annual VEX Robotics competition was back in Edmonton this past week. Over the past 10 years, the VEX Robotics competition has been a way of getting students involved in a growing field that they may never have even considered they might enjoy.
The VEX program integrate physical concepts of robotics such as power, torque and mechanical advantage with programming to produce a tangible outcome. The student driven program is open to anyone, but this specific competition was catered to those in high school. Teams generally spend a few months preparing their robots for competition, and the Edmonton regional competition is a pathway for these competitors to get to the national competitions.
“We run two events a year, here at NAIT this is our regional competition, and then we run another competition in February which is the provincials” Neil Wenger, the event director explained. “Students that win in provincials actually go onto the world finals”.
All competitions are viewed by a panel of judges to determine what teams did the best, and move on to the next rounds. Team Turbo Tech from Sr. Winston Churchill High School went undefeated, and will be moving onto the provincials. The team managed to go 10-0-0 over the tournament.
Although this was the Edmonton regional event, teams also came in from Calgary, Fort McMurray, Sherwood Park and Stony Plain
Although winning is always part of the competition, regardless of the teams outcomes, getting the hands on experience and exposure to a new or already loved field is what is most important for the competition.
