Myrtle Beach, SC (WBTW) – The annual FIRST Robotics competition is back this weekend at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.
More than 1,000 high school students, teachers and engineers will compete with Star Wars themed robots in the three-day competition.
This year, there are 64 teams from 8 states competing; 10 of those teams are from Horry County and this year’s rookie team is from Georgetown.
Each team uses the same kit of parts to come up with a unique design and has been working on their robot for about six weeks leading up to the competition.
Today is a practice and inspection day for teams, but starting tomorrow morning and continuing through Saturday, teams will get the chance to compete.
Although all teams are vying for first place, there are more than 20 other awards up for grabs for things like entrepreneurship, inspiration and engineering.
Frank Lanford, a founder of the Palmetto Region of FIRST Robotics, tells News13 it’s inspiring to see the different things students come up with each year, and their hope is the competition inspires students to further their STEM education.
“That’s the vehicle to get kids to a point of incorporating STEM activities and working with engineers,” Lanford said. “The whole purpose again is on inspiration and that robot from our standpoint is the vehicle that drives that. It’s the fun part.”
Parking and admission for the competition is free at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.