MONTE VISTA — The San Luis Valley 4-H Robotics program is hosting the third annual RoboRAVE Colorado robotics competition on Saturday, April 7 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Monte Vista High School in Monte Vista. This contest is open to all Colorado youth robotics teams. Participants can compete for prizes in five different events and three age divisions.

“We started this event because we wanted Valley youth working in robotics to have a low-cost opportunity to compete close to home,” said Amy Henschen, event director and 4-H Youth Development Agent with Colorado State University Extension. “We’re really excited to be bringing new challenges to the contest this year.”

At the event, teams will have the opportunity to again compete in the a-MAZE-ing Challenge, Jousting Challenge and Line Following Challenge. In addition, they can enter two new events, the SumoBot Challenge and Entrepreneurial Challenge.

The a-MAZE-ing Challenge, requires robots to navigate an elevated maze without using any sensors. The Jousting Challenge is a head-to-head contest to see which robot can knock their opponent’s water bottle “knight” off first. The Line Following Challenge requires participants to build a robot that can follow a line to deliver a ping pong ball payload.

In the new SumoBot Challenge teams build robots that can wrestle other robots out of the sumo ring. In the Entrepreneurial Challenge, teams create innovative robotics products to meet real world needs in areas such as agriculture, health care, energy, hospitality, and aviation. They then market those products to event attendees.

RoboRAVE is open to youth ages 8 to 18 who are members of Colorado 4-H, community, or school teams that use robotics platforms that cost less than $1500. The Entrepreneurial Challenge is also open to college-age teams. Teams compete in the division of their oldest team member. There is a $30 per team cost to participate. Prizes will be awarded for the top teams in each challenge and age division.

Teams should bring a laptop, with programming software, their robot, and robotics kit to the event. Groups will have time to practice and troubleshoot at the event before they begin scoring. Detailed information on all of the contest rules is available on the event website at http://tinyurl.com/RoboRaveColorado. Registration for the event is now open through the event webpage, and will be available through March 23.

“We’re very excited to see the creativity local youth will bring to this contest,” said Henschen. “Kids who participate in youth robotics events like this one are not only building robots, but also building the 21st Century Skills they’ll need to succeed at school and in the workplace.”

RoboRAVE Colorado is a partnership between Colorado State University Extension, RoboRAVE International, and the Monte Vista School District. The event is made possible by volunteers, as well as financial support from local sponsors, including the San Luis Valley 4-H Foundation. Those who are interested in volunteering at the event or sponsoring the event may contact the event director, Amy Henschen, at 719-852-7381 or [email protected].

For more information on RoboRAVE Colorado or the 4-H youth development program, visit the San Luis Valley website at http://sanluisvalley.colostate.edu. 4-H is a cooperative effort between Colorado State University Extension and Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Mineral, Rio Grande and Saguache counties. Extension programs are available to all without discrimination.