For many parents, the days of punching computer cards to create software programs seem like yesterday. Today, those punch cards have been replaced by servo motors and processors. Students across the world are joining teams to design and create highly capable robots that compete against each other in venues that are rivalling sports competitions.
Locally, a two year old non-profit group called the Brampton Robotics Club is making their mark at the international level. The group was started in 2014 by six high school students and their parents. Their goal is to help promote science, technology, engineering and math education (STEM) for students from grade 4 to 12.
The group’s success caught the attention of Amazon Canada who made a sizeable contribution recently. At a presentation at Brampton City Hall on September 28th, Glenn Sommerville from Amazon presented $10,000 of robotics equipment, technology and financial support to the group.
Members of the group design and create VEX robots, a type of educational robot used for high school competitions. The group competed with thousands of international students and won competitions in 2014 and 2016. The competition is fierce and draws over 15,000 participants from 30 countries. These teams compete throughout the year at qualification events at the local, regional and provincial/state levels.
The group as 70 members and is open to new members, sponsors and donations. Contact them at bramptonrobotics.org.
