High school teams from six states and Brazil are set to compete next month in Hartford in New England’s oldest regional robotics competition.
Hartford’s Northeast Utilities Inc. is the sponsor for the FIRST Regional Robotics Competition, New England’s oldest and longest running, set for April 2-3 at the downtown Connecticut Convention Center.
For the first time, a team from Brazil this year will join 55 U.S. teams of students, teachers and mentors. Teams and their motorized robots will compete on a 27-by-54-foot playing field with bumps, attempting to earn points by collecting soccer balls in goals.
The event is free and open to the public. It also will be broadcast live via the Web.
New Hampshire inventor Dean Kamen created FIRST in 1989 to promote science and technology skills in youth.
New England’s regional winners will advance to the FIRST championship at Atlanta’s Georgia Dome on April 15-17.
