The Edmonton Expo Centre hosted 48 teams from 10 different countries around the world on Saturday for the FIRST Alberta Canadian Rockies International Tournament. Program manager Josh Alvarez says only nine of the teams were from Alberta, ranging in age from Grade 6 to 12. The rest are from countries including the U.S., China, Jamaica, France, Libya and Romania ranging from ages 12 to 18. “You’ve got some of the most competitive robots in the world. They all advance to be here. They’re all vying for those bragging rights if they win, so it’s super tight and super competitive,” he said from the KDays festival on Saturday. Although the atmosphere is tense, Alvarez says the end goal is to help broaden students’ understanding of the tech being used. “We want them to learn from each other. That’s really the advantage of an international event, is they get to talk to each other, learn, they get to strategize and learn from each other’s strategies and grow as individuals.” Romanian robotics competitor Florian Costache’s head is still in the game, despite certain culture shocks after his 18-hour flight. “The food here in Canada is very different from the stuff in Europe. The bread is very sweet,” he joked. He even got to experience a Canadian rite of passage: a Tim Horton’s farmer’s wrap the morning before his competition. His team has won each of the three matches played so far, which are essentially robot two-on-two basketball. “We’ve come here, of course, to win, but also to make friends, to experience new things,” he said. “It’s our first time out of Europe. It’s very interesting.” The FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) program was founded in 1989 by Dean Kamen as a way to involve kids in robotics and technology. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Curtis Goodrum
