Frank Speziale photo

OXFORD – The second annual RoboRAVE New York at Oxford Academy High School will take place Saturday, April 6 featuring robotics teams from across the world as well as a number of local schools.

After the inaugural RoboRAVE New York in Oxford last year was a success with 60 participants and a growing sense of interest in robotics locally, the international event will return next weekend with about 200 participants from 60 teams, including teams from Egypt, France, Turkmenistan, and Canada.

The second RoboRAVE New York will kick-off with a brief opening ceremony at 8:30 a.m., followed by challenges throughout the day that will lead up to a closing awards ceremony after scoring is completed around 4 p.m.

The event will see students compete in a number of robotics categories such as a-MAZE-ing, Fire Fighting, Jousting, and SumoBot. New at this year’s event, a parliamentary debate will take place during the competitions on the topic of artificial intelligence: job creator or job destroyer?

Oxford educator and RoboRAVE New York co-founder Mark Muller said he’s thrilled at how well the event has been received in the community and in the world. It all started as a way to engage students while providing them the skills necessary to be an asset in the workforce when they graduate.