A total 150 hours over 365 days spent researching, designing, creating and fine-tuning has paid off for the Otumoetai College robotics team who will take their robot to the world stage next month.
A total 150 hours over 365 days spent researching, designing, creating and fine-tuning has paid off for the Otumoetai College robotics team who will take their robot to the world stage next month.
PK Wadsworth, 16, Cory Dyer, 17, and Alice Cerdiera, 15, from team 2941A qualified for the 2018 VEX Robotics World Championship after winning the national competition on February 23-25.
The trio is now fundraising to travel to Louisville, Kentucky, in the US for the world championships on April 23.
Year 12 student PK Wadsworth said there were more than 60 teams competing in the national robotics competition.
Wadsworth said it was the first time his team had won the national competition but Otumoetai College had held the titles many times.
He said the school had a "very big" reputation at the robotics competition and had qualified for the world championships many times. Wadsworth felt proud his team was continuing tradition.
"It makes me feel proud to be at Otumoetai College and continuing that legacy," he said.
Wadsworth said he and his team were the overall winners of the tournament and also picked up the design award for the first time.
To win the design award, teams had to keep a notebook recording how their robots worked, why they made the decisions they did, from start to finish.
"It goes very in-depth," Wadsworth said. "We put a lot of time and effort into our robot. What won us the competition was getting a lot of time practising driving and using it."
Wadsworth said the trio put about 150 hours into researching and building their robot during one year.
He said the team would now spend time perfecting their robot in preparation for the world competition.
The Otumoetai College Robotics team and their creation: Cory Dyer, 17, PK Wadsworth, 16, and Alice Cerdeira, 15. Photo / Andrew Warner
"We were happy with how it was for nationals but when we go to worlds on April 23 we are going to have to make some major design changes and get a lot more time practising, making it lighter and faster in some places."
Cory Dyer said he had been involved in robotics for eight years and had been to the world championships once before, which he called a practice run.
"This time I want to win," Dyer said. "I want to show the world Otumoetai has got the best robots in the world."
Alice Cerdiera said she had been involved in the process for seven months and was enjoying the opportunity. "I am so happy I have got the opportunity to be involved in something this big."
Principal Russell Gordon said the robots were like a "Stage Challenge in a machine".
"It has blown me away with what these kids have learned," he said. "They have gone beyond my capacity in understanding ... they are 16 and 17-year-olds who have thought strategically and have built technology from the ground up."
Team 2941A was the only team of four Otumoetai College robotics groups that entered in the national competition, but all members earned the right to travel to the US.
The Otumoetai Robotics team will be at the Night Owl Cinema event at Fergusson Park from 5pm on March 24 for people to test the robots for a gold coin donation.
