The Sixth Annual Cork Electronics Industry Association (CEIA) Lego Robot Competition is currently under way in 18 secondary schools throughout the city and county of Cork.
Each year, the competition has a theme to highlight the ways in which engineering and technology are embedded in our lives.
This year the theme is “Engineering in Sports” and the students have been challenged to build and program robots to play basketball using a kit supplied by CEIA.
Training sessions
The robot training sessions had to be postponed last November due to the floods.
But despite all the bad weather since then, the training workshops have all been held and the robots are starting to look pretty sporty, says organiser Deirdre de Bhailis.
Here’s a YouTube video of a BasketBot in training…
The grand final will take place on 11 February at 5pm in Maryborough House Hotel. The event is by invitation only due to space restrictions, but check the competition’s website (see links below) for updates.
Valuable skills
The competition is being run in conjunction with UCC, Cork Institute of Technology, Tyndall National Institute and has the support of CEIA member companies.
Engineers, researchers and technologists from these organisations provide mentor support for the teams. It’s also an opportunity for students to get an insight into potential careers in the industry, and electrical and electronic engineering courses at third level.
The competition helps the students to develop a range of valuable skills, including robotics, programming techniques, project management, teamwork and presentation skills.
Learn more
Find out more about the rules of the competition
Follow BasketBot on twitter @debhailisd
