Robots Prepare to Invade South Bend

South Bend is gearing up to host an International Robotics Competition at the Century Center from June 19-22, 2025. GEARS, the Granger Exploration and Robotics Studio, will host the largest premier robotics event in North America, the FIRST Tech Challenge Michiana Premier Event.

The competition will welcome teams from across the country and around the world, including teams from countries like the United States, Brazil, Vietnam, Romania, Kazakhstan, and Thailand. Overall, 1,600 visitors from twenty-two states and six countries are expected to participate.

Many of the attendees will be making their first visit to our region. Hotels and restaurants are looking forward to a little summer boost with all the traffic generated by the event. Twenty-two local hotel properties will be hosting guests.

The competition will follow the standard robot game and judging guidelines. This multi-day event also includes evening activities to build relationships and create lasting memories. Teams will move into their pits on Thursday, June 19, and that evening participate in an Olympic-style Opening Ceremony that includes custom flags for each team, National Anthems for each country represented, and guest speakers.

After a full day of judging and three qualifying robot rounds, Friday evening, there will be a Video Game Tournament and Ice Cream Social in the Bendix ESports Arena. On Saturday, teams will finish judging and their remaining 7 qualifying robot rounds. After alliances are selected, teams will enjoy a private concert with a super-charged technical show from an ’80s cover band that will have them dancing all night long.

Sunday will be filled with robot finals and a very special Awards and Closing Ceremony in the Bendix Theater. The competition is open to the public and might be an excellent place for families to visit, especially if you have a child interested in robotics or want to introduce your child to the field.

GEARS is a youth robotics center in northern Indiana focused on STEM education through the hosting of competitive robotics teams utilizing the FIRST program. They host students in grades 4 through 12 in FIRST Lego League and FIRST Tech Challenge programs. Students design, build, and program a robot to compete in a unique challenge each season.

GEARS was founded in 2015 in a refurbished barn in Granger, where it served thousands of students before moving to a larger space in Elkhart in 2019. In 2023, the program moved to its current home in Osceola. The program serves students in grades two through twelve.

But this is about more than robots.

Robotics programs like GEARS and FIRST, and programs in our local schools, help students improve their academic performance and develop critical skills for entering the workforce. Those programs help prepare our future workforce for new tech jobs in our region.

Students with the technical skills they obtain in a robotics program will be in high demand across various industries. Robotics will introduce students to automation and AI, two things that will be critical for future jobs. Students will also learn critical thinking and problem-solving skills that will help them be successful in their career pursuits.  

Robotics programs help encourage students to pursue STEM fields. Programs combine science, math, engineering, and technology and give students hands-on experience to build on what they have learned in the classroom.

In short, robotics programs don't just teach students how to build robots—they teach them how to build futures. We’re fortunate to have some terrific educators and volunteers driving our local robotics programs and bringing events like the FIRST Tech Challenge Michiana Premier Event to our community. 

Make plans to come visit the competition to see how our local students stack up against some of the best in the world.