On October 1st MassRobotics hosted the 5th annual Robot Block Party in Boston’s Seaport and drew more than 5,000 attendees. The celebration brought together the robotics companies and universities in the region to showcase their technology to the public and offer an opportunity for families, teachers and students of all ages to see firsthand the future of robotics and examples of industries robotics can help.
The showcase included robotic dogs, humanoids, drones, collaborative robot arms and grippers, flying bionic birds, and even a soft robotic jellyfish.
The Robot Block Party also hosted student clubs and FIRST robotics teams who have built robots as part of a competition or simply just for fun. These groups have always been a great inspiration to both adults and younger students.
Here are a few of the groups who joined us this year and what they had to say about the event:
“The LigerBots (www.ligerbots.org) were thrilled to participate as an exhibitor for the first time in RoboBoston 2022. Team members have attended as visitors in the past, but it was a thrill for the team to be invited to take part this year. As a team that participates in FIRST Robotics Challenge, FRC 2877 The LigerBots is one of the largest teams in the league as, in the spirit of Gracious Professionalism, they promote a policy of inclusiveness. If a student wants to contribute to the team, the team will find a place for them. We are student driven and student implemented give the students and opportunity to innovate and learn and grow. We use robots to build stronger students. This year, the Robot Block Party gave team members the opportunity to meet and learn from the many representatives from leading robotics firms like Boston Dynamics, Symbotic, and Mitsubishi Electric. By displaying Prometheus, the 120+ lb robot that they built from scratch for 2022, the LigerBots were not only able to engage younger kids with a game of catch with the robot and share with visitors the opportunity of learning by doing with their FIRST team, but they were also able to demonstrate to potential sponsors and future employers just how well they understood their work! It was a great opportunity to learn and engage with the Greater Boston community as well as help to promote STEM, the role that FIRST plays in STEM education and the value that FRC 2877 team has been to them as students. Looking forward to next year!” – Roshan Karim, High School Junior.
The GearTicks (FTC 6055) showcased their robots from the Ultimate Goal (2020/2021) and Freight Frenzy (2021/2022) season.
Ultimate Goal was a sports themed game and teams had to pick up and shoot rings into different targets. Freight Frenzy was a cargo themed game and teams had to pick up blocks and balls and place them in different height scoring depots.
This is the second year we’ve attended the robot block party. The team loves to share FIRST and our robots with the Boston community, and also see all the other amazing things people are doing with robots and technology. www.gearticks.com
“This was The FMG Robotics Foundation’s first Block Party and it was an amazing experience for us. Our main attraction was our Robot Dog, William, a recreation of the MIT mini cheetah built by Colin McCormick, Gavin Fair and Sid Gaonkar. The three high school seniors started their own non-profit company for STEM education. They travel to a multitude of schools and YMCA locations to teach young students about the exciting aspects of STEM. William the robot dog has been a core part of that teaching, exposing students to robotics and computer science in an exciting way. While many curriculums may cover the basics of a topic, they rarely expose students to the exciting applications of these topics. That is where FMG Robotics wishes to step in by providing students with fun educational experiences. The three teach a variety of topics and are always looking for new locations to teach and volunteer to improve STEM literacy. Anyone interested in supporting us or have an idea to help in your community, please reach out at www.fmg-robotics.com.” Colin McCormick
We look forward to hosting more Robotics clubs and teams at next year’s annual Robot Block Party.