A robotics club was initiated as a pilot project for the Hawaii National Guard Youth Challenge Academy (NGYCA) at the request of MG Robert Lee, The Adjutant General for the Hawaii National Guard.

This pilot project is part of the Hawaii Robotics Initiative to promote economic and technology development centered on robotics and intelligent systems (R/IS). Intelligent systems provide the hardware and software foundation of 21st Century life – computers, cell phones, ATM machines, retail store scanners, etc., while contributing billions of dollars to the U.S. economy. 

The Hawaii community and its spirit of cooperation will serve as a model for regional economic development formed around collaborative technology clusters that have a broad range of commercial and government application such as robotics.

Robots are one of the tools that are being used to engage students in technology and in the foundational disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The Robotics Education Initiative is a phased approach to providing opportunities for NGYCA cadets to become technicians and skilled workers and/or continue on an educational path to become scientists and engineers.