OʻAHU A.I.· Hawaiʻi Tech Week 2026

Meet Hawaiʻi's Championship Robotics Teams

Getting your keiki into competitive robotics.

A plain, friendly first-steps guide for families. You don't have to leave these islands to build something the world competes with.

For familiesMade with Oʻahu A.I.
A keepsake for families. Programs and costs change season to season, so confirm current details with a local team or coach — for example at the Oʻahu A.I. showcase, Meet Hawaiʻi's Championship Robotics Teams, on Saturday, September 5, 2026 at the Entrepreneurs Sandbox in Honolulu.11

What “competitive robotics” means

Kids design, build, and program a robot, then take it to tournaments to complete challenges and go head-to-head with other teams. It teaches the real stuff: problem-solving, teamwork, coding, and showing up under pressure. And it's fun. The biggest program in Hawaiʻi schools is VEX, which runs by age:

VEX IQ (VIQRC)Elementary and middle school. Snap-together plastic parts, no tools or soldering.1,5
VEX V5 (V5RC)Middle and high school. Metal parts and more advanced building and programming.2,6

Each year brings a new game, a build season, and local tournaments that feed toward the VEX Robotics World Championship.4 In 2025, more than 2,400 teams from over 60 countries competed there.3

How to start

Tap each step as you go.

What it costs (roughly)

Costs vary a lot by team and level. A school team may fold everything into a small program fee. A club charges dues. A VEX IQ kit is the low end and V5 is pricier. Cost is rarely the real barrier: Island Robotics runs its programs at a nominal cost, and Friends of Island Robotics provides equipment and financial support so students who wouldn't otherwise have access can take part.7,8 Ask directly.

What families often get wrong

Tap each one to flip it.

“My kid has to be a coding genius first.”Tap
No. Most kids learn to code because of robotics, not before it.
“We need our own expensive robot.”Tap
No. Teams share kits and space. That's the norm.7
“It's only for high schoolers.”Tap
No. VEX IQ starts in elementary school.1
“You have to win to get anything out of it.”Tap
No. The skills and the friendships come from the build, not the trophy.

Where to look on Oʻahu

Island Robotics (VEX, all levels) Oʻahu A.I. events

Also ask a STEM or science teacher at your local public school, and check your public library for VEX IQ demos.10

A little local inspiration

Coach Jared Haiola teaches special education and STEM at Haleʻiwa Elementary and was a 2023 Hawaiʻi State Teacher of the Year finalist.9 Haleʻiwa Elementary has repeatedly sent a VEX IQ team to the World Championship in Dallas.14 Oʻahu A.I. credits Coach Haiola with guiding dozens of Haleʻiwa students to Worlds over the past decade.11 Everyone starts with a robot that doesn't work yet. Yours can too.

Keep it on your phone, like an app

iPhone / iPad · SafariTap the Share icon, then Add to Home Screen.
Android · ChromeTap the ⋮ menu, then Add to Home screen (or Install app).

Liked this take-home?

This was researched, written, and designed by RN Collins, a creator-analyst who turns technical work into things people actually keep and use: explainers, briefs, interactive resources, and small tools, tailored to your brand and your community.

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Made for Oʻahu A.I. · Hawaiʻi Tech Week 2026 · RN Collins

Resources

Every fact on this page is sourced. Tap any title to open the original in a new tab. Every link was re-checked on 29 August 2026.

  1. VEX Robotics — VEX IQ (VIQRC) Official · VEXThe maker's page for the elementary/middle-school program. Source for the age bands and the snap-together, no-tools construction system.
  2. REC Foundation — Event Formats and Classifications (V5RC) Official · REC FoundationThe governing body's rules. Confirms VEX V5 (formerly VRC) serves middle and high school.
  3. RECF — 2,400+ teams at the 2025 VEX World Championship News · RECF releaseThe official 2025 figure behind “more than 2,400 teams from over 60 countries.”
  4. VEX Robotics — Competition overview Official · VEXExplains the yearly game, the build season, and the local-to-Worlds pathway.
  5. VEX Library — VEX IQ plastic construction system Official · VEXConfirms VEX IQ is a toolless, snap-together plastic system (no soldering), which is why it's the friendly entry point.
  6. VEX Library — Building with VEX V5 Official · VEXConfirms V5 uses a metal, bolt-together system and more advanced building and programming.
  7. Friends of Island Robotics — About Nonprofit · localThe club's own story. Source for VEX across elementary, middle and high school, the founding of Friends of Island Robotics in 2024, and the equipment and financial support that keeps cost from being a barrier.
  8. Honolulu Star-Advertiser — Island Robotics sends 3 teams to Worlds (2023) News · Star-AdvertiserIndependent confirmation that Island Robotics is Waipahu-based, that it sends teams to the VEX IQ World Championship, and that coach Mitchell “Mitz” Picardal supplies the gear “at a nominal cost.”
  9. Honolulu Star-Advertiser — 2023 Teacher of the Year finalists News · Star-AdvertiserConfirms Jared Haiola as a 2023 Hawaiʻi State Teacher of the Year finalist.
  10. Hawaiʻi State Public Library System — Events calendar Government · HawaiʻiThe library system's live listing of what is on at its branches statewide. Robotics workshops and build-a-bot sessions turn up here regularly, which is why it is worth checking before you buy anything.
  11. Oʻahu A.I. — Meet Hawaii's Championship Robotics Teams Host orgThe event this page was made for. Source for the “dozens to Worlds over a decade” line, which is Oʻahu A.I.'s own framing.
  12. Oʻahu A.I. Host orgThe community behind the showcase, connecting local builders, students, and families.
  13. Hawaiʻi Tech Week 2026 EventThe week this showcase is part of: August 31 – September 6, 2026, across Honolulu.
  14. Hawaiian Electric — Hawaiʻi VEX IQ Championships qualify teams for Worlds Sponsor · Hawaiian ElectricState championship results. Names Haleʻiwa Elementary among the Oʻahu schools advancing to the VEX IQ World Championship in Dallas, and lists the awards it took at the state event.