Area students are charged up for the 20th annual SBPLI Long Island Regional FIRST^® Robotics Competition, which will be held in a double-header style, with tournaments March 26 to 27 and March 29 to 30. Presented by School-Business Partnerships of Long Island, Inc. (SBPLI) — also known as FIRST Long Island — and Zebra Technologies, at Hofstra University’s David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex, these back-to-back regionals feature 85 teams from across Long Island, New York State, the United States and around the world. These students, aged 14 to 18, utilize 120-pound robots to compete in alliance-style tournament rounds under this year’s challenge, dubbed DESTINATION: DEEP SPACE^SM Presented by The Boeing Company. Long Island residents are encouraged to attend to support these local high school students.

The SBPLI Long Island Regional features teams of high school-aged students competing in a cooperative tournament-style robotics competition. Guided by their mentors, students rely on their skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to compete for honors and recognition that reward design excellence, competitive play and sportsmanship. This high-energy event further emphasizes the importance of high-impact partnerships between students, universities, businesses and communities.

In DESTINATION: DEEP SPACE^SM Presented by The Boeing Company, two alliances of deep space travelers race to place hatch panels on their rockets and cargo ship, load valuable cargo for transport off the planet, and return to the safety of their habitat. All before the next sandstorm sweeps through. Each alliance has two rocket ships, one cargo ship, and a habitat.

The first 15 seconds of DESTINATION: DEEP SPACE^SM Presented by The Boeing Company, a sandstorm limits driver visibility so robots independently follow pre-programmed instructions or are operated by human drivers via video from their habitat. Throughout the remaining two minutes and 15 seconds, students control the team robots to accomplish the DESTINATION DEEP SPACE tasks. Detailed instructions for each of these tasks are available in the accompanying official FIRST DESTINATION: DEEP SPACE Overview and a visual description can be found in this animated video from FIRST.

This year marks the 20th season of the FIRST Robotics Competition, which was introduced to Long Island by SBPLI’s late Founder, Fred Breithut, using his vision for the students of Long Island and the innovative program developed through FIRST. Mr. Breithut, a former educator, founded SBPLI in 1984 to address the gap between the skills needed by Long Island’s business community and the relevant preparation provided by local school districts. In the first 15 years of its operation, SBPLI formed over 100 successful partnerships between high schools and local businesses.

In 2000, the inaugural SBPLI Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition was held under a tent at Suffolk Community College’s Ammerman Campus in Selden, with 23 teams participating; it was the first-ever Regional FIRST Robotics Competition held in New York State. Since then, FIRST Robotics Competition on Long Island has grown tremendously. In 2018, SBPLI – FIRST Long Island hosted 78 teams, requiring two, rather than one Regional event. In 2019, the Long Island Regional will host 85 teams, with 17 competing from foreign countries—the most in the Regional’s history.

The presenting co-sponsor of this year’s competition is Zebra Technologies, a technology development company that provides industry-tailored, end-to-end technological solutions for retail/ecommerce, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, healthcare and other industries. FESTO Corporation has also announced that, once again, it is sponsoring the competition, as the company has done since the initial FIRST Robotics Competition Long Island Regional took place two decades ago.

The event is free to the public. Those in attendance are encouraged to cheer on their home teams, visit the teams’ pit areas to see firsthand how these students are able to program, repair and operate their robots. Visitors can also meet with SBPLI representatives, who can explain to them the different tournaments the organization presents and how one can form a team.

“The SBPLI Long Island Regional is an amazing way for students to showcase their talents in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields,” says Larry Toonkel, Co-Director, FIRST Robotics Competition, SBPLI/FIRST Long Island. “We are very excited to see what all our Long Island teams bring to the table, and to host teams from across the state, country and even the world at our tournaments.”

“We are certain that these dual events will provide an even greater level of exhilaration for participating teams and gives our local teams an added opportunity to advance to the Championships,” adds Bertram Dittmar, Executive Director, SBPLI/FIRST Long Island. “With an increasing number of Long Island FIRST Robotics Competition teams joining each year, we plan to continue double events in our region. But, in order to accomplish this goal, we’ll need the continued support of our valued schools, families, volunteers and donors.”

SBPLI/FIRST Long Island is the title sponsor of the SBPLI Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition. Captain of Innovation-level sponsors include altice USA, BAE Systems, Bethpage Federal Credit Union, Farmingdale State College School of Engineering Technology, FESTO Corporation, Hofstra University, Long Island University (LIU Post), Mancuso Charitable Trust, New York State Department of Education, Northrop Grumman, Oerlikon Metco, School Construction Consultants, Schenck USA, SCOPE Education Services, Stony Brook University, and Telephonics. Friends of the Future-level sponsors include accessLinx, Inc.; Brookhaven Science Associates; Robert Catell; Cradle of Aviation; The Dittmar Family; Engineers Joint Committee of Long Island (EJCLI); IEEE -Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; Ingerman Smith, LLP; North Atlantic Industries; The Pillai Family Fund; Spectrum Design Foundation; and the Stern Family.

The list of teams participating in the 2019 SBPLI Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition #1 (March 26-27) is as follows:

The list of teams participating in the 2019 SBPLI Long Island Regional FIRST Robotics Competition #2 (March 29-30) is as follows: