BEMIDJI — Robotics is growing as an activity in local schools, but finding room to build and practice can be a challenge.
To meet that challenge, a new space has been created for robotics students.
The North STAR (Science, Technology, Automation & Robotics) Center is located at the Beltrami County Fairgrounds in Bemidji.
Jesse Frost is a robotics coach at Cass Lake-Bena High School and has been involved in the Northern Minnesota Robotics Conference, an organization formed in 2017 to serve as a hub for science, technology, automation and robotics education.
The new center will facilitate collaboration between robotics teams from local schools.
"Kids can come from all over the region and bring their machines and test them on a real field, so that know it's going to really react when they get to major competition," Frost explained in a recent KAXE Morning Show interview.
Visitors during the Beltrami County Fair can meet members of area robotics teams and watch live demonstrations of student-built robots.
Several of the robots that will be on display competed at the 2026 First World Championship. Attendees will get the opportunity to get behind the controls and drive the robots themselves.
The grand opening of North STAR Center is 2 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12, during the first day of the Beltrami County Fair.
What does high school robotics do?
The specific task for high school robotics changes from year to year, but it usually involves getting an object from one area to another.
Each team's machine weighs about 150 pounds, built on wheels with speeds of 12-15 mph.
"Kids can come from all over the region and bring their machines and test them on a real field, so that they'll know how it's going to really react when they get to major competition," Frost explained, about the new space.
Listen to our full conversation above to hear more about competitive robotics and how the North STAR Center came to be.
