Young science students put on impressive showing at UOIT Robotics Competition

After weeks of tutorials, workshops and preparation, more than 200 science students from Bracebridge to Belleville, from Durham Region and across the Greater Toronto Area gathered at the UOIT on December 3 for a one-day winner-take-all robotics battle royale.

Organized and presented by UOIT’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, UOIT’s sixth-annual Robotics Competition featured a record field of 40 teams representing 24 schools. The entries even included three elementary schools whose students proved they had the innovative capacity to compete with their older peers.

Each team designs and builds its own unique robot/chariot from the same LEGO Mindstorms NXT robot kit and prepares it for battle on the Circus Maximus racetrack inside UOIT’s Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre gymnasium. In race groups of four, each chariot tries to outpace the others while navigating the track. Teams earn points for placement in each race, for devising ways to disable the opposing robots and also for their preparation of an engineering design report to demonstrate the knowledge competitors have gained during the competition.

“The students and teachers all seemed to have a very good exposure to engineering, science and technology throughout the event and the two workshops that we put on,” said Dr. Mikael Eklund, director of Electrical and Software Engineering at UOIT, and chair of the Robotics Competition. “The organizers, volunteer judges and sponsors were once again thoroughly impressed with the hard work each team put into competition. An event like this clearly demonstrates that these young women and men are on the right track as they consider post-secondary study opportunities in the realm of engineering."

Oshawa Mayor John Henry was on hand to present the top honours for 2011 to Toronto District Christian High School (Team A) of Woodbridge, which emerged with the most points among the four teams in the championship final (see top photo).

Championship finalists:

• First: Toronto District C.H.S. Team A (Woodbridge); 
• Second: SATEC @ W.A. Porter C.I. Team A (Scarborough); 
• Third: Bracebridge and Muskoka Lakes S.S. Team A (Bracebridge); and
• Fourth: Notre Dame C.S.S. Team A (Ajax)

Semi-finalists:

• Clarington Central S.S. Team A (Bowmanville);
• St. Augustine C.H.S. Team A (Markham);
• Centennial S.S. Team A (Belleville); and
• Centennial S.S. Team B (Belleville).

Best Engineering Design: St. Francis Xavier S.S. Team B (Mississauga)

Best New School: Heart Lake S.S. (Brampton)

Sportsmanship: Bracebridge and Muskoka Lakes S.S. Team A (Bracebridge)

Women in Engineering: Emily Carr S.S. Team C (Woodbridge)

Most Novel Design: Centennial S.S. Team A (Belleville)

Referees’ Award: Centennial S.S. Team B (Belleville)

This year’s Robotics Competition would not have been possible without the effort of many UOIT volunteers (led by the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science and the Office of the Provost) and the generous support of: 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; and by General Motors of Canada Limited.

For full result information, photos and details about registering for the 2012 Robotics Competition, please visit http://roboticscomp.engineering.uoit.ca/.

Media contact
Bryan Oliver
Communications and Marketing
Ontario Tech University
905.721.8668 ext. 2209
bryan.oliver@uoit.ca