The 2019 CREATE U.S. Open Robotics Championship brings robots to Council Bluffs from April 1 through April 6. The K-12 robotics competition brings in teams from around the world to compete in this robot-to-robot competition.
“We expect about 700 teams participating,” Jim Schulte, president of CREATE Foundation, said. “They hail from 43 U.S. States, the District of Columbia, Canada, Australia, Egypt, Turkey, and China.”
Each team of students builds a robot prior to the competition season and then bring or ship the robot to each competition, improving it as they compete.
“Robots are tested in individual skills runs, driver skills and programming skills, and in head to head, two on two competitions,” Schulte explained.
Students qualify for the U.S. Open Championships by how they fare during the robotics regular-season event, occurring from June to February internationally.
An advanced level of robotics will be tested in the competition’s Open Division. The division allows the use of any control system and 3D printed, laser cut, or handmade parts in the robot, going beyond most kit-based competitions. The Open Division encourages creativity and innovation for the students participating.
Competitions are open to the public from the morning of Tuesday, April 2 through Saturday evening. Admission is free.
“Spectators are treated to very lively sports like head to head competition that feels more like a basketball game than an academic event,” Schulte said.
In addition to watching the competition, the public can participate in several age-appropriate STEM activities supplied by CREATE Foundation and the Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum. The hands-on activities will be available from Wednesday, April 3 through Saturday, April 6 at select times. Visit our event page for more details.
