Robotics competition returns to DECC Thursday – Duluth News Tribune

More than 120 teams are expected to take part in the competition from Thursday through Saturday at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, with a chance to advance to the world competition to be held in April in St. Louis.

Teams from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and North Dakota will be competing in the Duluth regionals, according to a news release from the Duluth East Daredevils robotics team.

FIRST is an acronym of "For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology." Each year's challenge is unveiled in January, giving teams less than two months to build and refine their robots to complete the designated tasks.

In this year's challenge, called Steamworks, robots must pick up balls and put them into a "boiler." The more balls that go into the boiler, the more "steam" builds in the boiler to power an "airship." Two students will be in the airship, and the robots will need to move gears to the airship, where students will put the gears together to power the ship. In the final part of the competition, the robots will then pull themselves up a rope to board the ship.

Practice rounds at the Duluth regionals will take place starting at noon Thursday, with competition starting at 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Final matches will take place from about 1:30-4:30 p.m. Saturday.

The competition is open to the public, and free to all spectators. Find more information at mnfirst.org/frc/duluth-regionals.

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Robotics competition returns to DECC Thursday - Duluth News Tribune