| | INSIDE THE BAY AREA’S PREMIER STEM PREP HUB | June 2026 |
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| | VEX AI World Championship: The Future of Robotics Arrives at UC Berkeley |
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This June, the Robolabs Foundation brought the VEX AI Robotics World Championship to UC Berkeley — three days of fully autonomous robots competing at the highest level, with no one at the controls, and a real look at where competitive robotics is headed. Here's what the weekend was like. |
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| When the Robots Drive Themselves |
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From June 12–14, Pauley Ballroom and Lower Sproul Plaza filled with robots running without a single hand on the controls. Fifty-one of the world's top teams — from the U.S., China, Canada, Austria, Taiwan, and beyond — brought fully autonomous machines that had to read the field, adapt on the fly, and make every decision from code, sensors, and onboard AI.
It played like a preview of where the sport is going. Between matches, teams showed off wildly different takes on the same problem — custom vision systems, sensor fusion, real-time strategy — and watching them solve it live was about as close as you can get to seeing the future of competitive robotics in person.
The weekend was a milestone off the field, too. It was the first VEX World Championship held under VEX Robotics' new partnership with the Global Robotics & Science Foundation — now the official nonprofit partner for VEX competitions worldwide — and leaders from both organizations were on site to see it firsthand. There was plenty beyond the matches as well: campus tours that gave visiting teams a taste of Berkeley, and Tesla on hand as a sponsor, giving rides between rounds. |
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We cut the best of the weekend into a short highlights video — the robots, the teams, and the matches that made it. Give it a watch. → |
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An event this size only works because of the people behind it. Parents, Robolabs and Berkeley students, and community volunteers ran check-in, field ops, judging, tech setup, and hospitality across all three days — so visiting teams could focus on competing. To everyone who gave their time: thank you. We couldn't have pulled it off without you. |
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| Robotics Heavyweights in the Room |
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We were honored to host some of the most influential people in robotics and engineering: Bob Mimlitch — Co-Founder and CTO of VEX Robotics, who helped build the platform teams around the world compete on.
Vince Bertram — President of the Global Robotics & Science Foundation, the new official partner for VEX competitions worldwide.
Mark Asta — Dean of UC Berkeley's College of Engineering, who spoke to the value of hands-on engineering and preparing the next generation of problem-solvers.
Benjamin Kolligs — Maven Robotics, connecting students to the industry side of autonomous technology.
Having VEX, its new global partner, one of the country's top engineering schools, and the robotics industry all in one room, said a lot about where this community is headed. |
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| | | Summer Camp in Full Swing |
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Camps are underway across our locations, and the rooms are loud in the best way — students building, testing, breaking, and rebuilding robots all summer long. First-timers are getting their first machine wired up and moving, while returning students take on tougher design and programming challenges.
The best moment is always the same: a kid finishing a robot they designed and coded themselves, then watching it actually do what they told it to. That's the part that sticks.
Sessions run all summer, and spots are still open for students in grades 1–12. If you've been meaning to get your kid signed up, there's still time — register below. |
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| 💡 RoboFact: Meet the Global Robotics & Science Foundation
This season marks a major milestone for competitive robotics: VEX Robotics competitions worldwide now have a dedicated global nonprofit behind them — the Global Robotics & Science Foundation (GRSF).
GRSF is the official nonprofit partner that administers VEX competitions across the globe and runs the exclusive pathway to the VEX Robotics World Championship. It's a serious operation with one clear priority: the students come first. Its leadership has spent these first months listening to the robotics community and building for the long haul — and it's headed by Vince Bertram, a lifelong educator who spent twenty years as a teacher, principal, and urban school superintendent before leading Project Lead The Way, one of the largest STEM nonprofits in the country.
For our community, it means the competitions your students train for now carry a world-class organization behind them — and as an authorized event partner, Robolabs runs official, sanctioned VEX competitions on that very pathway to the World Championship. |
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| From Idea to Patent to Publication |
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| Applications are now open for Batch 14 of the Robolabs Innovation Academy, our flagship 18-month program where students go from idea to invention—and beyond.
In the first year, students develop a unique solution to a real-world problem and file a provisional or utility patent. In the final stretch, they write and publish a research paper based on their innovation. The entire experience is fully online, collaborative, and led by experienced mentors.
This program is ideal for students who want to: Extend what they've learned in robotics into real-world applications Build a college-ready portfolio that showcases creativity and initiative Collaborate with a driven cohort of peers from across the country
Batch 14 kicks off this July, and spaces are limited. If you're interested or know someone who would thrive in this environment, reach out soon—these cohorts fill up fast. |
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| | | Your Competition Calendar |
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| Tournament season is approaching soon with VEX IQ and V5 events scheduled through February. Circle these dates and get ready - every tournament is a chance to qualify for states! |
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| | Hands-on and immersive VEX and FIRST Robotics for kindergarten - 12th grade. |
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| | Fun, and valuable Robotics learning over a break. For students from 1st to 12th grade. |
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| | Journey to become a high-school author and inventor! |
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| | Leverage the entirety of Robolabs to get you into your dream college. |
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| Summer Academy at UC Berkeley |
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| Explore AI and robotics at UC Berkeley with expert mentors. |
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| | Design and code real-world apps from scratch. |
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| | Master SolidWorks & Onshape to design real robotics parts. |
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| | Create, prototype, and build your own product with 3D printing and CNC milling. |
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| | DUBLIN ROBOTICS CLUB, ROBOLABS DUBLIN |
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