Robotics has come a long way from the days of "Danger Will Robinson" (quick, who remembers the Robot’s name from Lost in Space?) to MechaniKong, to Rosie, the Jetsons’ maid, to the T-X Terminator of big-screen fame.

And while today’s educational robotics initiatives aren’t necessarily producing humanoid robots like Honda’s (News - Alert) famed Asimo, they are certainly providing interested students the opportunity to put their math and engineering skills to the test by engaging them in education and competition.

From coast to coast (and beyond) U.S. schools are increasingly providing facilities, resources, and training to students interested in the field of robotics.

From Globe St.com comes word of a brand-new facility destined to become Newark, New Jersey’s Robotics Center. The center will comprise a 6,500-square foot teaching facility to be operated by Newark’s Public School system. The building, which will accommodate 65 students, will include a robotics practice and competition field, computer lab and machine shops.

Heading south to Odessa, FL a high-school level robotics team recently won a grant from the FIRST foundation. The grant, designated a "rookie team" grant, is a rarity for a team not based at a specific school, and is one of just 250 awarded across the United States.

According to a press release, the grant will "enable the team to purchase the robotics competition kit at a reduced rate, as well as defray registration costs in the team’s second year."

The team is being sponsored by the non-profit education resource group Learning is for Everyone (LIFE Robotics).

Manchester, NH-based FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 by inventor Dean Kamen to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology.

And in Hawaii, students took advantage of an opportunity to participate in a mock VEX Robotics tournament, the first of its kind.

As reported in the Molokai Times, four teams of students competed as part of a robotics information workshop run by Hawaii’s Robotic Organizing Committee.

The gist of the competition was to maneuver a robot (similar to a remote controlled car) across a playing field that resembled a pool table. The team that was able to use its robot to push a series of balls into openings on the playing surface were awarded points.

VEX Robotics is one of the six major student robotics programs that are held at schools throughout Hawaii. The goal of this initiative is to offer students an opportunity to develop problem-solving, critical thinking and teamwork skills while leveraging their math, science, and engineering skills.