Young Alberta engineers face off in robotics showdown

Alberta's top young engineers faced off in Edmonton this weekend with robots they designed and built themselves.

Telus World of Science hosted25 teams from middle schools and high schools across the province for the First Tech Challenge.

The students spent months working on their robots.Each teamhad two minutes in a ring on Sunday to show what it could do.

• Edmonton students get hands-on experience with 3D printed prosthetics
• Alberta students face off to represent Alberta at prestigious science competition

Trevor Dawyd, who attendsLillian Osborne High School in Edmonton, said there's a lot of pressure on the teams to get their robots to pick up little plastic balls and shoot them accurately into a round hoop in the short time frame.

"In two minutes, we try to get as many points as possible," he said.

His team's robot, which, like all the teams' robots, was supposed to haveboth self-operating and control-operating options, struggledin the early round with the autonomousfunction.

Dawyd said they took what they learned there to make improvements.

Resiliency and determination is a lot of what I learned today.- ConnorBresee, student, Lacombe Composite High School

"We've learned troubleshooting skills and then also working with teammates to get along and overcoming obstacles,"he said.

Connor Bresee, who attends Lacombe Composite High School, said his team also had difficultywith the autonomous function.

"We just didn't turn it on because it has a chance to make the robot's driver-controlled one, which does work, not work, which was unfortunate," Bresee said.

He said the process, which has basically been one of trial and error,has taught him the value of not giving up.

"Resiliency and determination is a lot of what I learned today," Breseesaid.

"All the pieces to make it work really well are there, but they need to be refined so that they're more accurate."

• Microscope magic: Edmonton student inventor wins national acclaim

Jennifer Gemmell, the program manager of Telus World of Science's science garage, said the competition gives students a taste of what engineering and robotics could be like as a career.

"There's lots of creativity. There's lots of different ways to express yourself with your robot. There's lots of different ways to complete the same challenge," Gemmel said.

"It's a really unique and exciting and modern way of kids getting to do something that will actually have an effect later on."

roberta.bell@cbc.ca

@roberta__bell