High schoolers send robots into battle at Waterloo competition
Thirty robots went head to head, battling for machine supremacy at the University of Waterloo FIRST Robotics Competition on Saturday.
The event is one of eight district championships held across the province.
Teams made up of local high-schoolers design, build and program their mechanical marvels, which are capable for grabbing, carrying and balancing different objects.
“Waterloo has a reputation of being a preview for not only the Ontario championships but sometimes even the world championships," said competition manager William Neal. "We’ve had some of the very finest teams in the world come to the Waterloo region.”
More than a dozen teams could advance to the provincial championships, and from there, possibly reach the world championships in Houston.
“It’s a life transforming process for many of these students and these teams,” Neal said.
A team makes last minute adjustments to their machine. (Tyler Kelaher/CTV Kitchener)
But the real prize is the experience the event offers and the doors it can open.
Neal says millions of dollars of scholarship money have been handed out at the event over the years.
"I’ve learned so much, I know this is what I want to do after high school," said Chloe Bogaert, a member of the team FRC2702 Rebels. "I know I want to go into a job like this.”
Members of team FRC2702 Rebels, including Chloe Bogaert (right), appear during an interview with CTV News. (Tyler Kelaher/CTV Kitchener)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.