The ninth annual For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Competition takes place Friday and Saturday with hundreds of high schools students in Windsor set to compete.
The Windsor Essex Great Lakes Event, put on by FIRST Canada and Windsor-Essex FIRST, showcases innovation, design and engineering skills amongst students across the province.
32 high school teams from across Ontario, consisting of 15 to 45 students on each team, will compete in CRESCENDO, presented by Haas Game Animation.
Larry Koscielski, Vice President of Process & Technology Development, CenterLine (Windsor) Ltd says students have been building in the weeks leading up to the event and arrive ready to compete.
"The robots are about 120 pounds, stand generally five feet tall and about two and half feet by two feet."
He says the event ignites a passion in participants for science and technology.
"You see tears sometimes when they they win, you see tears when they lose and just seeing them work together as a team. The teams only compete together on the field, in the pits they're all helping each other. If a team needs some help with code or wiring, they have some problems, there's somebody there to help. Just seeing that coopertition is amazing."
Koscielski says the event is a celebration of the students hard work over the past 12 to 14 weeks.
"I guess I like to describe it as one part NASCAR, one part Super Bowl and one part rock concert. And that's pretty accurate. If you've been to the event, you know what I'm saying. It's very hard to describe and even videos or so don't do it justice. You have to feel the energy in the room."
The event will take place on Friday Mar. 29 and Saturday Mar. 30 from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., respectively, at the St. Denis Athletic & Community Centre located at 2555 College Ave, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4.
Anyone is welcome to attend the event.
-With files from AM800's Rob Hindi and Meagan Delaurier