Special Events
Renaissance Robotics is a team that is highly committed to outreach; we make sure that all of the outreach we do is STEAM-centered so it compliments our program, shares our passion for robotics and spreads the mission of FIRST. Through the years, we have participated in many different events. Continue below to read about how we spread our enthusiasm for STEAM in some pretty unconventional ways....
Comic-Con
Comic-Con came to the London Western Fair and Renaissance Robotics set up a booth to show the sci-fi world real high-tech robots.
During this weekend, we had our Rambot 2.0 play with everyone that came by while 4525 members described what our robot does and what FIRST is about. Everyone who we talked to had some seriously positive and encouraging things to say. We also got the change to sell FRC TCG to a captive audience who really appreciated the game and the graphcis!
Doors Open London
Doors Open London is one of the longest running community celebrations in Ontario.
This event celebrates art to architecture, history to modern-day technology, music and performances to the spoken word.
We were really excited to be a part of this unique event!
Community Festivals
Renaissance Robotics aims to share the message of FIRST at different event locations all year round. We set up booths at local festivals and demonstrate what our robots do in the FIRST competition. We have been to St. Anne’s Festival and Western Fair as well as other community events..
Fill the Rink
For the fourth year in a row Renaissance Robotics has taken to the rink to promote a love of robots. We love finding new crowds to show what we do and spread the word about FIRST. Through the unique venue, we get to see Jr. B. hockey games where the robots are just as much a crowd-pleaser as the players!
Nuit Blanche
For the past four years, our team's favourite event is bringing our competition robots to take part in the Nuit Blanche (part of London's Fringe Fest). Nuit Blanche is an all night art-meets-technology extravaganza that takes place on the streets of many international locations. In 2014, with many fellow FIRST Robotics teams, our robots blasted super soakers at giant canvases creating paintings. The second year we built tote sculptures with 7 other FRC teams on a full FRC field that involved carpeting a major intersection of downtown London, Ontario! Last year we set up 16-foot long piano keyboards with light sensors to play a game of "Name that Tune", shooting "boulders" at the piano keys to play notes. Our robo-artists, Bristle Bots & Hex Bugs created a painting live at the event while our cameraman drone filmed it all from above! Finally for 2017, our 4th year designing event exhibits, we were relocated to the main intersection where we had 6 other FRC teams play a STEAMWORKS inspired connect-4 game that used the gears as the game pieces had a fleet of Lego Robots playing "Scrabble", more like Scribble and Spheros painting fluorescent graffiti!
The cross section of people attending Nuit Blanche makes this event a big opportunity to present FRC to the art community in our region, many of whom were unlikely to have encountered FIRST otherwise! Of course we also get to "talk shop" with many local industry STEAM professionals and fellow makers throughout the night.
Santa Claus Parade
Taking home "Most Unusual Float" at our community's Santa Claus Parade was a well-suited award for our team. On our decorative float we shared our passion for technology with the community. Renaissance Robotics created a tech-art fusion with an 8-bit art, sound and light display for all to see. It was an overwhelmingly positive event even with the underwhelming weather.
