Robotic Events in NZ

I do not normally blog about local events related to MINDSTORMS NXT here in New Zealand. However, given the increasing NZ readership the NXTStep has now, I thought I would mention some exiting events coming up. If you are in New Zealand and of school age and have access to a NXT kit, then this should be of interest to you:

First one is this Saturday:

The teams will be competing for trophies in Robot Rescue, Robot Dance and Robot Soccer.

More details (including registration info / costs etc.) in here.

I spoke to Mildie Meyer-Els from Toshiba (sponsor) – who has been working really hard getting everything organised. She is expecting big things this year. With over 100 teams competing on the day (of which 55 will be competing for the Auckland titles and the rest competing against the Auckland winners for the national Competition in the afternoon), this should be an exciting event tomorrow. I will certainly be there – feel free to twitter me at the event if you want to meet up.

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The second one is still three months away - but if you are interested you should register ASAP:

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is quite a well known robotics competition held in the U.S, and many international teams compete every year. However, this is the first time schools (and individuals 9-16) can take part in FLL in NZ.

More details (including registration info / costs etc.) in here.

I also spoke to Jason Kyle from Kiwi FIRST who is organising this pilot event. They are expecting about 26 teams working on challenges that transform the way we look at transportation. Jason told me that the trust has made available some loan MINDSTORMS NXT 9797 sets for schools that are new to robotics. They have also structured the fees differently from other parts of the world to make it more affordable for schools with multiple teams from same school who can practice with the same challenge set.

If you are in NZ, and you are into NXT robotics - please get involved: If you are of school age, you can talk to your school about taking part (if you are not already). If you are an adult, consider volunteering to do some mentoring with the kids and help out with your local schools. Trust me - it is great fun!

Tim