Months of preparation, endless building, testing and rebuilding… and here we are: The Alberta FTC Championship!
Join us at the Telus World of Science for what is promising to be one of the biggest and most exciting competitions we’ve ever had!
Category Archives: News
Crown Cup of Canada FLL Tournament Announced!
You and your FLL team are hereby invited to participate in the FLL Crown Cup of Canada competition, presented by FIRST Robotics Society of Western Canada and the same incredible volunteers that have made FLL dreams come true for years.
Same place, same time. No need to adjust your calendar, no need to make new field trip forms! Already have a hotel reservation? Keep it! Booked a bus? Yellow or silver, no need for a new map for the driver.
Crown Cup of Canada FLL Competition
Animal Allies
Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
February 25, 2017
Open to all teams from anywhere
Tournament fee: $100/team
Tournament registration opens at 3:00 p.m. MST December 1, 2016 at http://frcwest.com/crown-cup-of-canada-registration/
Register now, limited spots available!
Local Team wins big at China Robotics Challenge Tournament!
From August 11 – 14, the China Urban Youth Robotics Alliance (CUYRA) hosted several FRC teams from around the world at the China Robotics Challenge in Shanghai, a tournament designed to mimic the 2016 FRC Stronghold competition.
Representing Western Canada was Team 4334 Alberta Tech Alliance, who completed the competition as OVERALL WINNERS!!!
Big congratulations to Team 4334, and a big thank you to their sponsors as well as the host, CUYRA, for inviting one of our Western Canadian teams!
Fort McMurray Fire
For those of you following the news, you may have heard of the wildfires in Northern Alberta that have devastated the district of Wood Buffalo including the Municipality of Fort McMurray. From what information is available to the public, we know that the residents of Fort McMurray were safely evacuated, however the damage to property is extensive and the fires continue to rage on.
In the FIRST family we are deeply saddened by events, and our thoughts an prayers are with the evacuees. In particular we want to offer our strength to members of our robotics family in Fort McMurray, Teams 4625 and 5597 of Father Patrick Mercredi High School and all the other robotics groups in the region. Know that we are thinking of you and your families and ready to offer our support where we can.
At the moment, the extent of damage in Fort McMurray is unknown and there is not yet a timeline for when affected families may be able to return, or whether they will be able to return. The evacuees may be displaced for weeks or months, and now more than ever they will need everyone’s support to get through this.
If you would like to help, the best way to do so is to make a donation to the Canadian Red Cross, who are mobilizing a massive relief effort. The Governments of Alberta and Canada will also be matching individual donations so your support will be magnified.
Please visit www.redcross.ca to make a donation.
Lacombe High School Joins FRC for 2016 Season
Congratulations to Lacombe High School, Junior High, Elementary and sponsors DOW Canada for a successful ten years of robotics involvement.Having experienced such great results at the FLL and FTC levels, over 50 high school students are now ready for the challenges of 
FRC! At their recent celebration, MP Blaine Calkins got to see the results of all the hard work the people of Lacombe have been doing to make their robotics such a huge success.
FRC! At their recent celebration, MP Blaine Calkins got to see the results of all the hard work the people of Lacombe have been doing to make their robotics such a huge success.We wish them the best of luck for their rookie season!
FRC Teaser Trailer Released
For the first time ever, FIRST has released a teaser trailer to the upcoming FRC challenge! The 2016 game is apparently called FIRST Stronghold, which sounds very intriguing. Check out the video below!
Our Amazing Ambassadors at STEMFest 2015
Intimitrons, SKY-Net and Manning Robots had an opportunity to attend the second international STEM Conference in Saskatoon recently. While demonstrating their robot to thousands of eager students, there were many opportunities to showcase their talents with renowned speakers and senior industry sponsors. Two of the team members participated in the Authentic Application of STEM Curriculum speakers panel in front of leaders in education.
STEMfest focus on learning for development included a wide variety of topics from crop science, renewable energy to engineering education. Attracting some of the world’s best minds such as Dato Len, Minister for Advanced Education (Malaysia), Tatiana Anesbury, Royal Australian Chemical Institute, Dr Hubert Gijzen, Director UNESCO Regional Science Bureau, the team were in the company of greatness.
The highlight for the teams was an opportunity to interact with David Wilson, VP, Academic Marketing, National Instrument (NI). NI donate millions of dollars towards FIRST Robots through research and development, ambassadors of youth and STEM, and subsidizing the Robo Rio, the brains of the robots, in order to allow all FIRST Teams the experience with cutting edge technologies.
Over 5000 high school and 4500 elementary students visited the exhibition. Our team members provided opportunities to learn about FIRST and drive robots! The robots even captured the attention of the New York film academy!
Astronaut David Saint Jacques Impressed by FIRST Robotics
Canadian astronaut David Saint Jacques dropped by Beakerhead and was really impressed by the FIRST Robotics FRC demonstration put on by teams from FRCWest. So much so, in fact, that he has let us say that he really endorses FRC and FIRST programs as valuable programs for students.
FIRST programs really do inspire students, and thanks to you David for being an inspiration to them, and all Canadians alike.
David Saint Jacques with FRC Team 4627
And take a look at the posts on Manning Robotics (4627) facebook page below:
Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques explains how the challenges faced by astronauts on the International Space…
Posted by Manning Robotics- FRC 4627 on Thursday, September 17, 2015