Locally, 90 percent of robotics students go on to major in engineering or science in college, and In the past two years alone, the number of participants in Dublin robotics programs has more than doubled. To this end, the Dublin Robotics Boosters wanted to give local high school robotics students the opportunity to build an interactive Show Robot or “ShowBot.” Building a robot that can talk, throw a ball, move objects and respond to voice commands, gives students the opportunity to experiment and learn in a hands-on environment. In addition to being challenged intellectually, students also learn how to work in teams, problem solve, deal with pressure and think outside the box — all skills that will be essential to these students after graduation.

“The ShowBot program will allow many more students to actively participate in designing and building a robot,” says Greg King, faculty co-advisor to the Dublin City Schools FIRST Robotics Team.  “New team members will gain experience they can put to use on the competition robots and our younger veterans will gain valuable leadership experience.”