TROY, N.Y. -- The third annual Tech Valley Robotics Exhibition was held at RPI Saturday. FIRST Robotics teams from around the area got to show off their machines in a friendly competition before the upcoming region showdown.

Teams build robots from standard kits and fight it out in a game called Breakaway. The object is to get soccer balls to targets on a playing field. One event organizer says it's a fun way to peak student's interests in math and science.

“The goal is to create the next generation of scientists and engineers in our society and certainly with things like Global Foundries coming to our region, we know that we're really going to need to build up and enlarge the student interest and eventually professional interest in science and engineering,” said Elliott Masie, First National Board of Directors.

More than 1,700 teams around the country are competing for a chance to go to the national championships in Atlanta in April. The FIRST campaign is a partner of Time Warner Cable Connect a Million Minds initiative.

For more information on the program, log on to Connectamillionminds.com.