Huntington Robotics Plans Kickoff on Saturday

The Huntington High School robotics team plans to waste little time getting started on the 2023 competitive season. The Blue Devils will gather in the auditorium on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. to watch a worldwide broadcast at 12 noon that will reveal this year’s FIRST Robotics game and related rules. Within minutes, team members will begin working on their newest challenge.

Teams across the globe will have six weeks to design, build and program a robot meeting this year’s game requirements. A series of competitions will follow culminating in the world championships in the spring.

Huntington Robotics and its competitors already knew that the general theme for this year’s game is “Charged Up.” But it won’t be until Saturday at the worldwide kickoff event that anyone can put the theme into game context.

The worldwide kickoff sparks the start of the 2023 FIRST Robotics competition season. FIRST Founder Dean Kamen, CEO Chris Moore and special guests will reveal the Charged Up game animation and other game and season details during Saturday’s event.

“From the machines that move us to the food that sustains us to the wireless technologies that connect us, energy plays an essential role in keeping our world running,” according to the FIRST website. During our 2022/23 robotics season, FIRST teams will reimagine the future of sustainable energy and power their ideas forward. To empower young people to be leaders and innovators, this year’s energy theme addresses global challenges related to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 7, which is focused on ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. This is the moment to get energized to innovate.”

Following the release of the game video on Saturday by FIRST, Huntington Robotics team members will collaborate with each other as well as with the Blue Devils’ mentors and people around the community and brainstorm design ideas for a robot that can best complete the task in the video.

“Whether it’s designing a robot to climb, shoot or grab things we need all the help we can get to create the best robot possible,” said Huntington Robotics in a promotional release about Saturday’s festivities.

The kickoff event will run from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Community members and students of all ages are welcome to attend and see what Huntington Robotics is all about.