A fleet of robots built and programmed by elementary students recently went head to head in the exciting Vex Robotics Tournament held at Richton Elementary School in Richton MS. Robots were tasked with moving objects around an obstacle course, earning points for each successful move.

Richton’s team was completely made up of 6th graders, making them by far the youngest team entering the competition. Teachers were also quick to point out to KFVS12 News that there were just as many girls competing as boys, showing that these exciting initiatives are encouraging more and more enterprising students to explore a career in manufacturing, robotics and computer science.

To get the most out of the competition, robots are delivered to the teams completely unassembled, and it’s up to the students to build them from scratch. It’s a challenging and fun activity with a competitive element that gets kids highly interested in STEM learning (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Other useful real-world skills are fostered, such as project management, time management, working in groups and problem solving. The competition is a culmination of a lot of hard work and determination from these young engineers.

We’re proud that this initiative is running on Intelitek’s software, with students programming their robots using easyC, a programming language designed to be powerful enough to perform advanced operations but simple enough for young students to pick up.