Lawrence Tech Named USA National Organizer For World Robot Olympiad

SOUTHFIELD – Lawrence Technological University has been named the national organizer for the United States for the World Robot Olympiad Association, which runs a global LEGO robotics competition that draws participants from around the world.

So, what is this? It's a competition that started in Singapore in 2004. This year more than 17,000 teams are participating. Each country has its own competition, and the winning teams from each country are invited to attend the World Robot Olympiad to compete for gold, silver and bronze medals.

This year's finals competition is scheduled to be held in the Olympic city at Sochi in Russia Nov. 21-23. The event will be organized by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Industry, and the Ministry of Communication of the Russian Federation. Participants from over 36 countries – including the United States for the first time – will be offered accommodations in the Olympic Village hotels and apartments.

Recently WRO Secretary General Claus Ditlev Christensen reached an agreement with Professor CJ Chung of Lawrence Tech to organize local tournaments throughout the United States and then hold a national finals competition where teams will be selected to represent the United States at Sochi.

Chung said WRO-USA is looking for local tournament partners to organize local tournaments in different states between July and August. Organizations interested in becoming a tournament partner should contact robofest@LTU.edu. Team registration online has begun at http://wroboto.us.

The USA national finals are scheduled to be held at Lawrence Tech on Saturday, Sept. 27.