| | INSIDE THE BAY AREA’S PREMIER STEM PREP HUB | September 2026 |
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| | 100 Tournaments, Two Community Days, One World |
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September brought us to the edge of a milestone eight years in the making: on October 10, Robolabs will host its 100th VEX Robotics tournament. This month we also took our robots out of the lab and into the community, with a booth at the Dublin Farmers' Market and a return to the Niles STEAM Fair in Fremont. And at UC Berkeley, One World is full before a single match has been played. Here's the rundown. |
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| Tournament No. 100 Arrives October 10: |
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| On Saturday, October 10, the Robolabs VEX V5 Robotics Competition #2 in Dublin will be the 100th VEX Robotics tournament hosted by Robolabs / Dublin Robotics Club. September got us to the doorstep: tournaments #97, #98, and #99 ran on September 5, 12, and 26.
One hundred tournaments is more than a number. Each one is a full day where students compete, collaborate, watch a design fail, fix it between matches, and come back better. Last season alone, an estimated 6,000 students took the field at our events.
None of it happens without people. Thank you to the volunteers, judges, referees, coaches, staff, and parents who show up Saturday after Saturday, and to VEX Robotics and the Global Robotics & Science Foundation for building the ecosystem that makes it possible. Most of all, thank you to the students who bring their creativity and competitive spirit to every event.
100 tournaments. Eight years. Thousands of students. Here's to the next hundred. |
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| Robolabs Award Winners: September |
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| Out of the Lab, Into the Community |
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| Kids' Takeover Day at the Dublin Farmers' Market (Sep 17) |
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On Thursday, September 17, we joined the Kids' Market Takeover at the Dublin Farmers' Market, the market's family celebration to close out the season. Between the produce stands, our coaches set up a small VEX IQ field where kids could grab a controller and drive, with a VEX V5 competition robot alongside to show where the path leads. Thank you to the Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association for inviting us. |
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| Niles STEAM Fair (Sep 26) |
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On Saturday, September 26, while tournament #99 was underway in Dublin, another Robolabs crew was in Fremont for the Niles Elementary PTA's STEAM Fair. It was our second year in a row at Niles, and the formula still works: put a competition robot in front of a curious kid, hand over the controller, and watch what happens. Students and parents got a first taste of competitive robotics, alongside a full day of science demos, art, and live performances. |
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| One World 2026: Full House at UC Berkeley |
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We're about seven weeks from One World, our VEX V5 Signature Event at UC Berkeley, and both divisions are already full: 64 teams each, with waitlists behind them. High School: Saturday and Sunday, November 21 to 22 Middle School: Sunday and Monday, November 22 to 23
Both events take place in Pauley Ballroom, and each awards three qualification spots to the 2027 VEX Robotics World Championship. Behind the scenes, our team is deep in preparation: fields, judging, livestreams, and the volunteer crew that makes it all run. |
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| | | 💡 RoboFact: It Takes a Small Army to Run One Tournament
Did you know how many moving pieces go into a single tournament day? It starts before the doors open: fields built, electronics wired, and displays, cameras, and the livestream tested. Up to 40 robots get inspected. Judges read engineering notebooks, interview the teams, and deliberate over seven judged awards. On the floor, the drivers' meeting leads into dozens of qualification matches run minutes apart, skills runs, alliance selection, and the finals, with referees, scorekeepers, queuers, field reset crews, and an emcee keeping it all on schedule. The day ends with ten awards: seven judged, three won on the field. Now multiply that by 100. |
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| New Program: AI Tools Coaching |
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Every student will use AI. The question is whether they'll use it well.
Our AI Mastery program goes far beyond prompting. Students in grades 8 through 12 learn to create with AI: coding their own projects, building real things, researching deeply, and writing sharper. And they learn to learn with AI, using it to actually understand more instead of letting it do the thinking for them.
Professionals everywhere are racing to build these exact skills for an edge in the workplace. This program gives students that same edge at school, years ahead of everyone else, with the judgment and taste to know when to trust AI and when to push back on it.
Who: Grades 8-12
Format: Live online sessions, one hour per week (Fridays, 7:00-8:00 PM)
Now enrolling the next cohort. Spots are limited, so if your student is curious (or you know one who'd thrive), tap below and we'll reach out. |
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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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