Fighting it out with the biggest names in the robotics arena, the Philippines would be sending a team of students and mentors to the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) Hawaii Regional.
Philippine Team Lagablab, composed of 32 junior students from the Philippine Science High School, eight mentors from the University of the Philippines and De La Salle University and three coaches from PSHS, will be slugging it out in Honolulu, Hawaii on March 26 to 28 together with their robot, Larry Labuyo.
FIRST, which stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, is a US-based organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen in 1989 aimed at inspiring young people's interest and participation in science and technology.
FRC is a unique varsity sport of the mind designed to help high school-aged young people discover how interesting and rewarding the life of engineers and scientists can be.
Science Education Institute (SEI) Director Dr. Ester B. Ogena said the Philippines would be participating in the FRC to allow the students to learn from play with the "pros" of the science and engineering world; apply math and science concepts to design, build, test and compete with robots; gain hands-on experience in solving real-world problems and discover the excitement and rewards of science and technology careers.
"Students are involved in design, building and driving the robot; computer animation and programming; research; fundraising; and even public relations and marketing," she said.
Each year, FIRST unveils a new game for the students to solve using a common kit of parts where they are asked to build a robot that would perform based on the rules of the game.
For this year, the students would be engaging the robots in a game called "Lunacy," which simulates the conditions in the moon. Robots would be using a special kind of wheel rolling over regolith, a material which is almost frictionless.
The objective of the game is to place as many "moon rocks" into the trailer of the opponent in 2 minutes and 15 seconds.
Winners of the FRC are awarded the Chairman's Award, the Highest Honor given in the regional and final competitions.
Ogena expressed optimism that the Philippine Team Lagablab will be able to reap an award at the FRC in March.
"We are confident that Team Lagablab with their robot, Larry Labuyo, are at par with the students and mentors in the international community. Our ingenuity and versatility as a team will help us win in the FRC," she said.
Ogena added that the Philippines is participating in the FRC to entice the students to venture into careers in robotics.
"We want our students to have the motivation and inspiration to become scientists and engineers by making them experience what it is like to be in the real world. We hope that through the FRC we would be able to give them an insight to the scientific community," she said.
Other countries participating in the FRC are Brazil, USA, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Israel, Mexico, and Turkey. (30)
