Four Acadiana Teams Are Competing in the FIRST Robotics Bayou Regional in Kenner

I'm headed down to the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner to spend some time with the best and brightest young minds in the region. I'm volunteering at the FIRST Robotics Competition Bayou Regional, presented by Entergy.

The FIRST Robotics Competition features 56 student-built, student-driven 120-lb robots. And it's awesome! These are teenagers building robots that do amazing things. The game changes each year; the 2014 game is called 'Aerial Assist.' 

AERIAL ASSIST^SM is played by two competing Alliances of three robots each on a flat 25’ x 54’ foot field, straddled by a truss suspended just over five feet above the floor. The objective is to score as many balls in goals as possible during a two (2)-minute and 30-second match. The more Alliances score their ball in their goals, and the more they work together to do it, the more points their Alliance receives.

Thirty-five teams from Louisiana and Mississippi, including four from Acadiana, will join teams from all over the country in a quest for the chance to compete in the World Championships in St. Louis. Our teams are Ramageddon from Acadiana High School, Krewe de Reauxbotics from the David Thibodeaux STEM Academy, Crobots from Carencro High and Team Phenomena based at Comeaux and comprised of students from several area schools. The teams are comprised of students, mentors, and coaches both from their schools and volunteers from the community. Teams had only six weeks to design, build, and program their robots for the game!

The Bayou Regional is April 3-5, 2014, it's open to the public and admission is free. If you're the parent whose child loves video games, Legos or Bob the Builder, bring them to the Pontchartrain Center Saturday and maybe you'll inspire them to play and study harder. We need more scientists and engineers!

We'll be live posting photos from the event below. You can follow all the action via social media using the hashtag #OMGrobots