WARREN – Students from elementary through high school will demonstrate their ability to design, program and build autonomous robots at Lawrence Technological University?s Halloween RoboParade on Oct. 25 at the Expo Center on the South Campus of Macomb Community College in Warren.
The event is open to the public and admission is free. Many of the robots will be dressed in Halloween costumes and spectators are invited to do the same. Spectators can vote for their favorite robotic float and enter raffle prize drawings.
This year?s RoboParade teams are from Birmingham, Canton, Detroit, Howell, Northville, Novi, Rochester Hills, Southfield, St. Clair Shores, Stockbridge, Troy, Warren and Westland. There will be two parades at 1 and 2:30 p.m.
Each team?s creativity will be on display as its decorated floats proceed around the parade route. The robot floats must be programmed to detect other robots in front of them, to follow the parade line, to display the current speed in centimeters per second, and to start and stop without human intervention.
This is the ninth annual RoboParade organized by the Robofest office in LTU?s College of Arts and Sciences. Founded by Computer Science Professor CJ Chung in 2000, Robofest programs promote science, technology, engineering, and math ? the STEM subjects ? as well as the arts and writing in fun and dynamic ways.
RoboParade includes an essay contest for the first time this year. Contestants will have an hour to write about a topic related to robotics. LTU students will be the judges, and the winning essay will be read at the closing ceremony and posted at Gongwer.Com
?Writing is an essential skill for every career path and that includes robotics,? Chung said. ?RoboParade also gives students the opportunity to use their creativity as well as their computer programming skills.?
RoboParades are also held in Sugarland, Texas, St. Pete Beach Florida, and Roanoke, Virginia.
