There’s a different kind of March Madness going on at a college basketball stadium this weekend — and it involves robots.
The Stan Sheriff Center at the University of Hawaii is teeming with more than 1,000 teenagers, all gearing up to participate today and Saturday in Hawaii’s fifth regional FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition.
"If we give them the opportunity to do an event like this, we’re setting them up for their future," said Corrie Heck, coordinator for the Hawaii Robotics Organizing Committee, which plans the event.
Heck said that by showcasing what the students can do and giving them an opportunity to do more, the program prepares them to be the kind of workers Hawaii needs: high-technology-driven, engineering-focused problem-solvers.
The name of this year’s competition is "Rebound Rumble," and 36 teams from Hawaii high schools, one team from Taiwan and one from New Orleans have created robots designed to shoot compact foam basketballs into nets at different heights.
Among the teams is Waialua Robotics, which earned the prestigious Chairman’s Award last year — an award that goes to only one of 4,000 robotics teams worldwide each year for having a strong program that participates in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education outreach.
"Being part of robotics is a lot of fun, and you don’t have to be (super) smart," said Waialua High School senior Jandie Sabo. "You just have to be dedicated and work with other people. There’s a spot for everyone."
Sabo said she was interested in journalism as a middle-schooler before she decided to pursue engineering, which she said is why she works on the documentation team and serves as the group’s main contact person.
The yearly competition, now in its fifth year, kicks off in January when each team simultaneously receives a competition packet and instruction manual. At that moment the six-week clock starts ticking.
| ROBOTIC MARCH MADNESS
>> Thirty-eight teams are competing: 36 from Hawaii, one from New Orleans and one from Taiwan.
>> The top of the key is a safe zone, but outside of the safe zone robots can play defense and block shots made by the opposing team.
>> The match lasts two minutes and 15 seconds.
>> The first 15 seconds are an “autonomous” period during which each robot must be pre-programmed to act on its own. Baskets scored during the autonomous period are worth more points.
>> The game is played with compact foam balls.
>> The top basket is worth 3 points, middle baskets are worth 2 points and the lowest basket is worth 1 point.
>> The hoops have reflective targets on them for the robots to focus on.
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At the end of six weeks, teams have to pack up and ship their robots to Oahu. Cramming and final touches are all done at the event — and there are professionals to help.
"We’re pretty much loaning our services for repairs and alterations," said Jeffery Lane, a welder and professor at Honolulu Community College for 28 years who was sitting in the welding area behind a big truck labeled "machine shop."
Lane has been volunteering for the competition since it started and said his favorite part is seeing the excitement on the kids’ faces, and especially the teamwork.
"That’s very important for them when they go out in the real world," he said. "I think this competition provides them with that — all the leadership qualities."
Many students are quick to say how much their school’s robotics program has shaped their future plans.
"I want to be a teacher at my high school and work with the robotics program," Kihei Charter School senior Roxi Nelson said. "The kids that we have are the leaders of tomorrow and the leaders of the entire world. … (Seeing so many students at the competition) really gave me hope for my generation."
The Hawaii Robotics Organizing Committee was founded as part of the Hawaii Innovation Initiative, started by then-Gov. Linda Lingle in 2007, Heck said.
"She kinda challenged all of us to put a local competition together" so teams weren’t restricted to costly mainland competitions, the coordinator said.
Once there was a local option, Heck said, the program grew to 25 teams from four teams after the first year.
Five years later 36 Hawaii teams are now active, and 80 percent of Hawaii’s public schools participate in the program.
"It’s become a very, very big thing in Hawaii, and we’re tremendously proud of it," Heck said. "We hope we can continue to grow to get to 100 percent (participation)."
The Hawaii Robotics Organization, which also includes underwater, Lego and microrobotics programs, puts on events throughout the school year, but this is the biggest one, Heck said. Roughly 250 members of the Friends of Hawaii Robotics Group help to put it on, she said.
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