Ak-Sar-Ben’s River City Rodeo & Stock Show (ARCR) will host the first ever River City Robotics Competition for middle and high school youth teams September 30 at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha.

Robotics teams comprised of three to six participants interested in competing should register online at www.rivercityrodeo.com/robotics (click on the link below) by Friday, September 7. Multiple teams from one school or county are allowed.

The competitive event will involve a mission of saving, “Cool Whip the Cow,” and challenge participants to familiarize themselves with the various systems of a beef cow while sending their robot to save the day.

The teams are required to provide their own equipment, which may include:

- Up to three robots (CEENBot or LEGO® Mindstorms) with attachments design to pick up objects (robots must be designed to fit through a 14 inch-wide opening, but there is no height restriction).

- Hardware and software required for the robot(s) to be controlled remotely (teams may select the type of remote controller they wish to use).

- Equipment and programming required to use a robotic arm on the robot(s) (teams may use elements from any manufacturer to their CEENBot or LEGO® Mindstorms robot(s); they are not restricted to use only LEGO® pieces).

A mission briefing will explain the details of the competition and the teams will have two hours to prepare. A practice field will be available beginning one hour before the competition for teams wishing to complete a practice run. Teams may have up to three robots on the field during each round. The three robots can be designed for different purposes.

The final score of the competition takes the number of items retrieved by the robot with items assigned different values and penalties accrued by the team with the amount of time considered in the event of a tie.

For more information or to sign up your robotics team today at www.rivercityrodeo.com (click on link below).

Ak-Sar-Ben’s River City Rodeo provides an opportunity for youth to get involved or for the public to be a spectator. Along with these two competitive events, ARCR is a proud host to numerous educational and entertaining activities as Omaha’s Official Community Celebration; reflecting western heritage and agricultural traditions. Highlights include the second largest rodeo in the world: the Justin Boots Championship, the largest 4-H Stock Show in the nation, the Douglas County Fair, the annual Heritage Parade, and the Nebraska State BBQ Contest.