Robot invasion coming to Detroit ... again

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Casey O’Connor and Erik Huang from Canada work on a cargo ship in one of the playing fields Tuesday at Cobo Center in Detroit. (Photo: Daniel Mears, Detroit News)

Detroit — The robots are coming. So are their creators. And their creators’ parents.

More than 15,000 students and their custom-built robots are traveling to downtown Detroit this week for a fast-paced, international robotics competition, FIRST Championship.

The event, which runs from Wednesday through Saturday at Cobo Center and Ford Field, involves timed matches and skill as students adjust their robots to complete assigned tasks.

Jorian Eisenberger, 18, center, turns on his light-up shoes with his Pink to the Future teammates, Casper Bosman, 16, left, and Thom Van Gisbergen, 17, from Maerlant-Lyceum School in the Netherlands at the start of their qualifying round of the FIRST Tech Challenge Game Action at Cobo Center in Detroit on April 24, 2019.

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From left, Pink to the Future teammates Jorian Eisenberger, 18, Casper Bosman, 16, and Thom Van Gisbergen, 17, from Maerlant-Lyceum School in the Netherlands watch and drive their robot during a qualifying round of the FIRST Tech Challenge Game Action at Cobo Center in Detroit on April 24, 2019.

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Lighting up shoes worn by Pink to the Future team member Jorian Eisenberger, 18, from Maerlant-Lyceum School in the Netherlands.

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Gearticks team member Jack Hutchinson, 18, leans over to see while Norwalk Robo Warriors, left, from Norwalk High School in Iowa and the Gearticks, right, from Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School near Boston participate during qualifying rounds of the FIRST Tech Challenge Game Action at Cobo Center in Detroit on April 24, 2019.

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From left, Moe 365 team members Jonas Ho, Patrick Tiamson, 17, and his twin brother, Bryan Tiamson, 17, watch and drive their robot during qualifying rounds of the FIRST Tech Challenge Game Action at Cobo Center in Detroit on April 24, 2019.

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From left in green, Caffeinated Robots team members Evan Mitchell, 16, Kiersten Preister, 16, and Mitchell Fittje, 16, watch and drive their robot during qualifying rounds of the FIRST Tech Challenge Game Action at Cobo Center in Detroit on April 24, 2019.

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From left, Scripps Dragons teammates from Scripps Middle School in Lake Orion, Nick Frisch, 12, and David Tefand, 14, get their robot ready for their qualifying round of the FIRST Tech Challenge Game Action.

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From left, Scripps Dragons teammates from Scripps Middle School in Lake Orion, David Tefand, 14, Lindsay Stone, 13, and Nick Frisch, 12, get ready for their qualifying round of the FIRST Tech Challenge Game Action.

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Robotics teams compete in the FIRST Tech Challenge qualifying rounds at Cobo Center in Detroit on Wednesday, April 24, 2019.

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Mechanical Meltdown team members, from left, Dylan Markley, 17, Ian Hunter, 15, and Lucas Hunter from the Watkins Glen, New York community team compete during the FIRST Challenge Game Action qualifying rounds.

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Referee Julia Berry of Byram Township, New Jersey, right, talks with Mechanical Meltdown team members, from left, Dylan Markley, 17, Ian Hunter, 15, and Lucas Hunter from the Watkins Glen, New York community team during the FIRST Challenge Game Action qualifying rounds at Cobo Center in Detroit on April 24, 2019. (Robin Buckson / The Detroit News)

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From left, High Voltage team members from Denis Morris Catholic High School in St. Catharines, Ont. Liam Luimes, 17, and Nevan Hasan, 16, wire their robot in their pit area.

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From left with robot, Jack Hutchinson, 18, Audrey Gammack, 14, and Laura Appleby, 17, attend to the robot while, coach Anne Hutchinson, in gray, helps Alex Payne and Kevin Ji, right, make buttons at the team's pit.

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This is the second year for the FIRST Championship in Detroit. It turned out to be a great choice, said Don Bossi, president of FIRST, which stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.”

“Because of the cultural alignment of FIRST and Detroit, the making, building culture,” Bossi said. “… Michigan has an outstanding number of FIRST games in the state. So we’re very much part of the culture of Michigan in terms of that DNA for being makers and builders. Also having that strong presence in schools in Michigan.”

The competition will also return in 2020. Organizers estimate that it will generate $30 million annually for the state’s economy as the free event draws about 35,000 participants and spectators each year.

“When you walk into an arena and there are 40,000 other people who are excited about what you’re interested in passionate about, you start to realize that you’re part of a community and part of a movement,” Bossi said.

The competition in Detroit is the first of two FIRST Championship held this month. Last week, teams competed in Houston. The event was created by Dean Kamen, inventor of the first drug-infusion pump and the Segway. He started the FIRST Robotics program in 1989.

Students from 25 states and 37 countries were gearing up Tuesday for the competition, which begins with qualifying competitions on Wednesday afternoon.

There are three levels of competition: the FIRST LEGO League Jr. World Festival Expo for ages 6-10, the FIRST LEGO League World Festival for ages 9-16, the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championship for ages 12-18 and the FIRST Robotics Competition Championship for ages 14-18. There is also one student exhibition for students ages 6-18.

Represented countries include Austria, Belgium, Chile, Indonesia, Ireland and South Africa.

Among those traveling to Detroit were the PowerStackers team from Ohio.

This is the team’s second time in Detroit for the competition. Bill Buckey, mentor for the PowerStackers, said last year the team was scared to compete in such a high-profile competition. Also, Detroit seemed like such a big city, he said.

“It was wonderful…” Buckey said of the event. “There were lots of activities, lots of colleges handing out scholarships and recruiting. On the side, a lot of kids got to go to the Henry Ford, the Piquette Ford plant and tour the waterfront and see stuff they’d never seen before.”

The team was expected to be in the pit area early Wednesday morning.

“This is exciting,” he said. “They’re not going to miss a moment of it.”

cwilliams@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @CWilliams_DN

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Robot invasion coming to Detroit … again