Hundreds of high school students from New England are gearing up for the 16th Annual Savage Soccer robotics tournament at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) on Saturday, Nov. 10.
Student teams have had one month to design and build robots that, controlled by radio signals and at times operating autonomously, compete against other robots on two 8x-12-foot playing fields to win a game. The all-day event is free for participants and spectators, and is open to the public.
Deanna Clark, the event manager and a freshman at WPI majoring in chemical engineering, said 64 schools and clubs are participating this year. She noted that the level of excitement increases every year.
"It’s just so inspiring to see all these high school kids making robots and doing things that most kids have never even dreamed of doing," said Clark, of Albany, N.Y. "I can't wait to see all the robots performing. It's going to be really exciting."
Established in 1995 as an outreach program, Savage Soccer helps middle- and high school students learn about basic robotics principles and teamwork. The WPI student-managed tournament is hosted by FIRST Team 190 (WPI and Massachusetts Academy of Mathematics and Science at WPI).
In addition to finalist and champion awards, eight others will be presented: Amazing Autonomous Award, Awesome Offense Award, Judge’s Award, Play of the Day Award, Savage Spirit Award, SolidWorks Design Award, Terrific Teamwork Award and Wow Award.
The event is sponsored by SolidWorks, WPI alumni, and Intelitek. For more information, visit here.
What
16th Annual Savage Soccer robotics competition
Why
An increasing demand for robots and robotics systems has also generated escalated interest in robots among young people. In 2007, WPI offered the nation's first bachelor's degree program in robotics engineering. WPI also offers master's and doctoral programs in the field.
Who
More than 60 middle and high school teams from across New England and one from New York will compete in Savage Soccer.
When
Saturday, Nov. 10, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Campus Center Odeum, Worcester, Mass.
