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B.C. high school students compete at BCIT robotics competition

More than 350 high school students constructed robots designed to fire balls into nets a competition held at BCIT in Vancouver.

Team from Seaquam Secondary in Delta will compete at world championships in Kentucky

CBC News ·
Teams at a Pacific Youth Robotics Society robotics competition hosted by BCIT had to design machines capable of playing a game called 'nothing but net.' (Jared Thomas/CBC)

More than 350 high school students from across the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, Washington State, and Alberta competed at a robotics competition held at BCIT on Saturday, with the goal being to construct a robot that could most efficiently fire balls into a net for points.

"It's like the real world," said Lance Balcom with the Pacific Youth Robotics Society. "They're involved in designing and engineering a better product, programming a better product."

More than 350 high school students from across the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, Washington State, and Alberta worked on one of 70 teams to make and manipulate the machines. (Jared Thomas/CBC)

The robots have to sling dozens of balls in perfect six foot arcs in order to be successful in the game, which is called, 'nothing but net.'

Teams and their robots face off in the gymnasium at BCIT's Burnaby campus. (Jared Thomas/CBC)

70 teams competed with a select few chosen to travel to the World VEX Robotics Championships in Kentucky.

The game 'nothing but net' required teams to build robots able to sling shot foam balls across a court into nets. Robots got extra points for lifting a competing machine off the ground. (Jared Thomas/CBC)

Balcom says regional competitions started 10 years ago and now 125 teams participate.

"It's about developing science, technological, engineering and math skills in our youth," he said.

This team from Seaquam Secondary School in Delta will head to Kentucky for the 2016 World VEX Robotics Championships. (Jared Thomas/CBC)
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