World Robofest Championship comes to Lawrence Tech this weekend

It’s not exactly BattleBots, but the World Robofest 2008 Championship at Lawrence Technological University sounds just about as cool.

Dozens of high school teams from around the world and the robots they have created will converge on Lawrence Tech’s campus for mechanized competition. However, the difference between this and other robotic contests is that Robofest’s robots are autonomous (they act independently) while other require remote controls to function.

Among the games are:

• RoboSumo, where the robots push each other out of the ring Sumo wrestling style.
• RoboFashion Show features teams of two robots that show off their costumes and dance moves.
• Mini Urban Challenge is where a laptop-based robot maneuvers through a course simulating an urban road environment.
• Pentathlon that allows robot teams to participate in five field events using VEX robots.

The robots are designed, programmed and assembled by student teams at middle and high school levels. These crash courses in robotics give the students hands-on experience in the same commercial robot development used in manufacturing and even by NASA (like the lonely robot from the Superbowl commercial).

Winners of the championship rounds receive big trophies and $2,000 annual renewable scholarships at Lawrence Tech. Such programs and competitions have become so successful that millions of dollars in scholarships have been awarded to participants over the years.

The competition will take place between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. in the Ridler Field House at Lawrence Tech, 21000 West Ten Mile Road in Southfield. Admission and parking are free. For information, email robofest@ltu.edu or call (248) 204-3566.

Source: Eric Pope, spokesman for Lawrence Technological University
Writer: Jon Zemke