Chambana Sun

On May 4, 2024, the Interstate Center on the McLean County Fairgrounds in Bloomington, Illinois hosted the annual 4-H Robotics Competition. The event saw participation from 30 youth teams across the state, who showcased their understanding of robotics and interacted with others sharing similar interests.

This year's competition theme required participants to envision a world of ceaseless technological progress through the lens of AgTech. Keith Jacobs, University of Illinois Extension 4-H youth development specialist, said, “From the foods that we eat, to the clothes that we wear, Agriculture plays both the lead, and several supporting roles in this theater. With the threat of drought, global disasters and worldwide food shortages, AgTech may be the hero mankind has been waiting for.” He further added that it is up to this generation to innovate and safeguard our agricultural future.

The competition was open to Illinois youth aged between 8-18 years. They competed in teams of three to ten members at two levels: Rookie and Advanced. Preparation for this event began months in advance. Ruhaan Kumar from Cook County shared his team's preparation process which included presentation runs, zoom calls and table runs.

Judges were present at the event to score various categories including Table Performance Judging, Technical Judging and Teamwork Judging. Winners were announced across multiple categories with Marshall Putnam Intermediate from Marshall Putnam County bagging Level 1 Champions title and Code on the Cob from Cook County winning Level 2 Champions title.

Several other awards were also given out during the event such as Programming Award (Rovra 4-H Tiger Bots of Knox County), Overall Robot Design Award (BronzeBots of Cook County) and Best Table Performance (Bolts Brains & Bots of Clark County). The Judges’ Choice Award went to Marshall-Putnam Senior Robotics while Wayne County Robo Rebels received Team Spirit Award.

Hanzhi Jing from Cook County expressed his interest in learning more about coding and trying different methods in the coming year. The event concluded with an invitation to those interested in robotics to connect with their local Extension Office for a 4-H robotics experience.

Illinois 4-H, the flagship youth development program of University of Illinois Extension, is administered through the College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences. It aims to empower youth for life today and prepare them for a career tomorrow.