NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - (Business Wire) Close to one hundred teams from around the world invaded the Matadome at California State University, Northridge with their robots last weekend for the inaugural VEX Robotics World Championship. An alliance of three teams from China won the fast-paced competition with robots built by the students using the VEX Robotics Design System. The winning alliance teams were Chengdu Shuangliu Experimental Middle School, Chengdu No.7 High School and Nanshan High School Mianyang. The teams were triumphant on the game
“Bridge Battle
”, which was created by Innovation First, the organization behind the Vex Robotics World Championship. The tournament was designed as a vehicle for students to interact and learn about robotics engineering in a fun, non-traditional environment.
The VEX Robotics World Championship hosted high school and middle school students from Brazil, Canada, China, Great Britain, Korea, Singapore, Taipei and the United States for two days of non-stop and pulse-pounding matches. The captain from the winning team from Nanshan High School Mianyang said, “It was really awesome for us to have the opportunity to compete against the best teams in the world. We definitely needed to share our engineering knowledge and work together as a team to pull in this win.”
“All the teams practiced for months to get to The VEX Robotics World Championship and it was remarkable to see such an array of talent from across the globe,” said Jason Morrella, senior director of education and competition for Innovation First. “It was also amazing to witness the creativity that went into the design of their robots and the enthusiasm on their faces during each match,” Morrella continued. “Having this world-wide competition has helped further our commitment towards motivating kids to be passionate about science and technology.”
Bridge Battle is played on a 12’x12’ square field that is divided into two sections – one “red” and one “blue” – with two teams on each side. Each team controls its robots to place tennis balls in respective red and blue colored sections of a bridge platform and works closely together to accomplish this task. Students compete in matches lasting approximately two minutes, with a new one occurring every three minutes. No other robotics tournament has ever held matches at such a fast pace. “We wanted to increase the energy level of competition through the VEX Robotics World Championship to make it the most riveting, unforgettable experience for all participants,” said Morrella.
More information about the VEX Robotics World Championship is available at www.vexrobotics.com and www.robotevents.com.
About Innovation First, Inc.
Innovation First, a privately held corporation, was founded on the belief that innovation very early in the design process is necessary to produce simple and elegant product designs. Innovation First began producing electronics for unmanned mobile ground robots, and is now an industry leader in the hobby, competition, education and toy markets. The company’s award winning Vex Robotics Design System, VEXplorer, HEXBUG Micro Robotic Creatures and IFI Robotics span the education, consumer and business-to-business markets. Leveraging the company’s core competency in electrical and mechanical engineering, the RackSolutions division works closely with all major computer OEMs to provide custom mounting solutions and industry-wide rack compatibility for data installations of all sizes. With an advanced in-house metal fabrication plant, distribution center, and office located together in a 13 acre complex in Greenville, Texas, the company is poised to continue on a rapid growth path. Please visit www.innovationfirst.com for additional information.
GCI Group for Innovation First
Claire Church, 310-526-5530
cchurch@gcigroup.com
or
Lindsey Carlin, 310-526-5570
lcarlin@gcigroup.com
