TULALIP – Amateur engineers are to pit their creations against one another today in the first ever Tulalip Robotics Microexposition.
Under the watch of two professional robot developers who will visit the Tulalip Indian Reservation for the event, young inventors – and even those who have never before touched a robot – are expected to compete in a series of “mini-sumo” competitions.
“This is a real healthy activity for young people to get involved with,” said Daniel Jones, Tulalip campus manager for Northwest Indian College, which is hosting the event. “It leads to well-paying jobs and satisfying careers. We’re trying to pique their interest.”
People who are not students at Northwest Indian College are welcome to compete in the day’s events with their own robots, or they can select one of four robots that will be available for public use.
Six robots will be given away as prizes, Jones said.
Speakers at the event include Monty Reed, the Vancouver, B.C., inventor of the LifeSuit, a robotic attachment designed to help disabled people walk, and Bob Cook, a Seattle software engineer who won the prize for “Coolest Robot” at last year’s Western Canadian Robot Games.
Some of the Northwest Indian College students who participate in today’s competition are preparing for Robothon 2007, a Seattle Robotics event scheduled for next month.
Building robots is a way to get students interested in computer programming, Jones said. They start by building remote-controlled devices, then are encouraged to move into more complex designs.
Students with those skills have an advantage when searching for jobs in engineering fields, Jones said.
“You try to move them into programming because the end result is very rewarding,” he said.
Reporter Krista J. Kapralos: 425-339-3422 or kkapralos@heraldnet.com.
Robotics event
The Tulalip Robotics Microexposition will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at the Northwest Indian College Tulalip Annex, 7707 36th Ave. NW in Tulalip.
Registration begins at 9 a.m. The robotics competitions are open to any competitor. Competitors may bring their own robots or select from several robots to use at the event.
Robot developers Monty Reed and Bob Cook will offer seminars throughout the day.
For more information or to register, go to www.nwic.edu/tulalipff/robots.php.
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