Science and Engineering Area

Alabama Robotics Competition

Next Competition Date: April 6, 2024

Come test your computer programming skills and compete with other Alabama students for cool prizes! A fun day is planned with educational experiences, food and social activities. The Alabama Robotics Competition is an event where students write programs that navigate their robot across a series of obstacle courses. Awards will be given out in several categories across multiple grade levels (elementary school, middle school, and high school).

A flyer for the 2024 contest is available here.

Coaches may apply for their teams here.

Visit the Past Events page to view photos, contest problems, and other results from previous competitions.

Please use the navigation bar above for additional information.

Why another robotics competition?

There are several excellent robotics competitions that already exist, such as the popular BEST Robotics events in Alabama and the world-wide FIRST Lego League competitions. Our contest complements these other events by filling in missing gaps of participation. After hearing from various K-12 teachers, it has been observed that a competition is needed in Alabama that met the following goals:

  • A competition that is open to all grades in K-12.
  • An event in the Spring that offers students studying robotics additional activities to pursue throughout the entire school year (rather than just a Fall focus).
  • An emphasis on programming skills, resulting in autonomous robot control, rather than a robot that is maneuvered by a remote control. Points are scored in this new competition based on the clever solutions of student programs, rather than the skill of a teammate with a remote control.
  • A registration fee that is affordable - only $75 per team(several Lego competitions have registration, fees, and kit costs over $1,000).

Essential Details

Application Details

Important Dates

Sponsors

We are very grateful to the Alabama Transportation Institute (Mobility and Power Center), zyBooks , Firia Labs, as our main sponsors, as well as the UA Department of Computer Science!

 

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