We are excited about hosting the very first [competition here].Shelly McGowan, lecturerLocal school children with an interest in computing have been challenged to design, build and program robots to dance or perform rescue missions.
RoboCup Junior, a national robotics competition for primary to secondary school students, is being held in the
Bay of Plenty region for the first time and students from 144 schools in the area have been invited to compete.
The competition will be held at Waiariki Institute of Technology on August 20.
Event organiser, Waiariki Institute of Technology computer programming and robotics lecturer Shelly McGowan, said competitors would be judged on everything from construction and technical ability to how they dressed up their robots and the props used.
Robotics was a good way to make computer programming more appealing to students, Ms McGowan said.
She was excited to bring the competition to Rotorua and increase the institute's relationships with schools in the region, she said.
"Until now, local schools have had to travel to other regional competitions as there hasn't been one in the Bay of Plenty so we are excited about hosting the very first.
"We're also trying to make high schools aware of the new technology we now have ... here at Waiariki."
The winners of the RoboCup Junior Bay of Plenty Regional Competition can go on to compete nationally in Wellington in September.
