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August 15, 2008 Dear Robotic Enthusiast, Almost 10 years ago, the dream of representing the Philippines in an international contest began when FELTA started Philippine Robotics Olympiad. This contest makes use of LEGO Mindstorm kits and design robots intended for a specific purpose. Winners of this event were sent to International Robotics Olympiad which is joined by almost 10 other countries in the region. Around 5 years ago, the contests took a turn when the Organizers suddenly allowed NON-LEGO parts to be used in the contests giving undue advantage to some teams. Because of this, several participants and organizers decided to form another group, the World Robotics Olympiad, maintaining the LEGO-ONLY rules. In November 2007, Grace Christian High School, a long standing partner of Genetic Computer Institute, won the Open Category of the World Robotics Olympiad in Taipei. That same year, Grace Christian HS, with the help of Genetic, fielded teams to the International Robotics Olympiad and First Lego League . While the teams did not make it to the first place, they learned a lot during the contest and are now undergoing serious preparations to take the top spot this year. In the U.S, Robogames attracts more than 800 teams from 20 countries each year. Their website contains pictures, videos, game rules, etc which is a valuable resource for any school who wants to get represented and compete with the best. The competition that I found most exciting is the robot soccer. Robocup started as a dream of having robots competes in the World Cup. A dream of Roboticists. This dream gave birth to several variations including one for the junior league . It is almost a regular feature in many robot contests around the world. There are also serious contests for the College students like ABU and Singapore Robot Games. These contests have participants from universities and colleges that continually research and develop robots for these game events. If you want to know more about other games and their schedules, Robot Competition FAQ contains an updated list of the contests. If your concern is purchasing robots, you can visit several stores in the Philippines. FELTA offers Lego, Alexan , and E-Gizmo offers different robot parts, and PC Troubleshooters carry INEX Products a cost effective brand that we highly recommend. This foundation was born from a long time hobby and interest of a lot of people in the Philippines. We want to make robotics as a regular educational initiative of teachers and schools to bring out the best and the inventor in every Filipino Child. Games have always spurred up interest, creativity and excellence. We hope that you will take part in our endeavor and support all our efforts.
Melvin R. Matulac Founder, Pinoy Robot Games Foundation |
