News - Free Range Robotics

Teen robotics wizards to compete for US event

Published on Thursday, March 26 2009 | Written by Massey University

Tech-savvy teenagers from around the country will unleash their specially designed robots in a New Zealand Vex robotics competition at the Albany campus on Friday and Saturday.

The two best teams will be able to compete in the world championship in Dallas, Texas, next month.

The competition involves 31 teams of six pitting their remote-controlled creations against each other to complete tasks in the fastest time.

Started in the United States, Vex robotics has been gathering momentum in New Zealand since being launched by the University's School of Engineering and Advanced Technology at Albany last year.

Robotics competition winners will head to US

Published on Wednesday, March 25 2009 | Written by Massey University

Vex Robotics Competition Winners Twelve Auckland teenagers have a date in Dallas next month after manoeuvring their machines to victory in a fast and furious final of a robotics competition on the Albany campus at the weekend.

Two teams made up of Avondale College pupils and home-schooled children will compete at the Vex World Championships on April 30 after winning the New Zealand national finals at Massey University this weekend. The alliance was declared tournament champions from a field of 31 teams.

Competition convener Dr Johan Potgeiter, a senior lecturer at the School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, says it was a lot of fun. "The winning alliance collaborated on their software and they were both awesome," he says. "Home school's robot, Free Range Robotics, was absolutely brilliant. In one task it picked up multiple cubes and threw them out of the ring in a real show of strength, while Avondale College's robot, Binary Blitz A, was extremely fast."