High school teams from across Hawaii and as far as China and New York are converging in Honolulu today and Saturday for the 10th annual FIRST Robotics Regional Competition, dubbed “the varsity sport for the mind.”

In the decade since the state first hosted the tournament, the robotics movement has helped thousands of local students develop skills in technology and teamwork by tackling real-world problems.

“We are very excited because we are maxed out with the number of teams attending,” said Angela Wong, executive director of the Friends of Hawaii Robotics. “We have a total of 37, with 26 from the islands.”

“A lot of the high school kids we see coming up began as keiki doing the program from early on,” she added. “We are excited that we can see them really learn and flourish and apply what they’ve been taught since their early years in robotics.”

Wong herself is an alumna of the Sacred Hearts Academy robotics team, having participated in junior high and all four years of high school.

The competition is free and open to the public at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Stan Sheriff Center. The teams are competing for a chance to take part in the world championships April 19-22 in Houston.

Students were given a challenge in January and had six weeks to solve it, working within a budget and with limited supplies. They had to create a robot weighing less than 120 pounds with a drivetrain to allow it to scoot around, and an appendage or mechanism to collect plastic balls and launch them at a target.

“The really fantastic part about robotics is that these are student-driven projects,” Wong said. “They’re not an adult or teacher telling students what to do. They have guidance from teachers and mentors, but it’s really up to them to get something done.”

When robotics first got rolling, there were just two pioneering teams, McKinley and Waialua high schools. Now there are more than 500 teams across the state, including ones made up of elementary kids. An estimated 8,000 Hawaii students are involved in robotics, Wong said.

The projects are designed to promote knowledge of science, technology, engineering and math. To succeed, students also need to collaborate and communicate, both with their teammates and with others.

“While the challenge of robot building is exciting as a base line in innovation, this program creates opportunities for our students across the state to learn to work as a team to solve real-world life problems while enhancing their communications skills,” said Lenny Klompus, president of the Friends of Hawaii Robotics and an instigator of the movement.

“Robots are no longer science fiction,” Klompus said. “They are now such an integral part of our lives. After watching up close and personal what our student teams are capable of achieving, we are confident about growing a stronger workforce in our state.”