Dramatic finish highlights UOIT's fifth-annual Robotics Competition

Oshawa, ON - With hundreds of onlookers closely following the action, bragging rights at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology's (UOIT) fifth-annual Robotics Competition came down to one final race on December 4 inside the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre's huge gymnasium.

After a full-day of playoff races where students from each school designed their own robotic systems to navigate the track for Circus Maximus racing, the event's largest-ever field of 37 teams (including one elementary school team) had been narrowed down to four finalists. The starting grid Lego robot chariots for the championship featured Bracebridge Muskoka Lakes Secondary School; Scarborough's SATEC @ W.A. Porter Collegiate; Father L.J. Austin Catholic Secondary from Whitby; and Bowmanville's Clarington Central Secondary School. After four nail-biting final races, SATEC @ W.A. Porter emerged the winner by the narrowest of margins: one single point ahead of Bracebridge Muskoka Lakes.

"This was the most successful event we've put on to date," said Dr. Mikael Eklund, director of Electrical and Software Engineering at UOIT, and chair of the Robotics competition. "The organizing committee was delighted by the enthusiasm, creativity and sportsmanship demonstrated by all of the competitors. This was a terrific arena of innovative young minds putting their science knowledge to the test. Certainly many of them are well-positioned to consider post-secondary education in the key field of engineering."

To prepare for the event, the teams took part in workshops and tutorials throughout November that were hosted by members of UOIT's Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. Various other awards were also handed out for design ingenuity, teamwork and positive attitude. The competition was generously supported by BRIC Engineered Systems of Oshawa, a company that provides a wide range of solutions in various engineering fields and industry, including the design and assembly of large robotic systems.

For full result information, photos and details about registering for the 2011 Robotics competition, please visit http://roboticscomp.engineering.uoit.ca/.

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