Robo-mania to light up the Sunshine Coast

The RoboRAVE World Championships is making its debut in Australia, and the Sunshine Coast will be the host region for this landmark event on July 13-14 at UniSC.

The global gathering is expected to draw more than 4000 participants and provide an estimated $1.3 million boost to the local economy.

To date, 34 international teams are confirmed - coming from China, Egypt, Japan, Mexico, Poland and Taiwan, to name a few.

Sunshine Coast Council Mayor Rosanna Natoli said Council was thrilled to collaborate with RoboRAVE Australia to host this event on a global stage.

“This is the first time the World Championship event has been held in Australia,” Mayor Natoli said.

“We are proud to support this event through our Major Events Sponsorship Program, another example of how we are creating opportunities that strengthen our economy now and into the future. 

“We are also committed to fostering youth innovation and STEM career pathways and there is no better place to experience future technologies than right here on our Sunshine Coast.

“It’s wonderful to see a huge interest in participation as we welcome international students and their families who will experience everything our beautiful region has to offer.”

What does a RoboRAVE look like?

RoboRAVE is a renowned international series of competitive robotics events designed for participants ranging from primary school students to university students and adults.

Each team must design, build and program a fully autonomous robot to complete tasks using advanced technology such as vision tracking.

Attendees will witness cleverly designed robots tackling vertical surfaces, battling in sumo arenas and navigating intricate mazes, among other thrilling challenges.

2023 Spirit of RoboRAVE winners RoboReapers from Cavite Science Integrated School in the Philippines. 

RoboRAVE Australia President Tim Hadwen encouraged participants and volunteers to register now to secure their spots.

“The World Championships coming to the region encompasses more than six years of development of the robotics education ecosystem in the Sunshine Coast and around Australia,” Mr Hadwen said.

“We’re looking forward to our biggest event ever with a whole heap of exciting changes to adapt to the scale this competition has grown to."

Spectator tickets will be released a month before the event.

Calling on volunteers

RoboRAVE Australia is a not-for-profit run by volunteers. To make the event happen they need volunteers across three days. Volunteers are given training, as well as a tee-shirt and food and drinks.