Robocup Junior competition a success for two Rotorua schools

Lynmore School's Masterminds Return (winners Junior Theatre) are Nadia Wu (left), Koki Hara, Bruce McGregor and Archie Graham. Photo / Supplied

Two Rotorua school teams have taken out first place at the Waikato Bay of Plenty Robocup Junior regionals competition held at Te Aka Mauri Rotorua Library on July 3.

Lynmore primary school's team, Masterminds Return, won first place in the Junior Theatre category.

John Paul College's team, Alt + F4, won first place in the Senior Theatre category.

Thirty teams from Hamilton, Tauranga and Rotorua schools competed.

Robocup junior New Zealand aimed to encourage school students to take an active interest in science, technology and the performing arts. The two competitive categories were rescue and theatre.

Theatre teams dressed their robots and put on a one- to two-minute play by programming their robots as actors or dancers. Performances ranged from Harry Potter-themed dances to performances in te reo Māori and the rebellion of put-upon robots.

Rescue teams were required to build and code a robot that would avoid obstacles, turn the correct way at intersections and find a "victim", all while following a black-line maze.

Rescue robots performed across five rounds, with some robots becoming stuck on hills or getting lost when turning corners.

John Paul College's winners of the Senior Theatre section are Oscar Westra (left), Lily Kautz, Hayley Jin and Katie Kim. Photo / Supplied

Teams explained their code and teamwork process with judges, then presented their entries. All judges were from the local community.

"Projects like Robocup Junior wouldn't be possible without the support we receive from volunteers, like the judges, as well as mentors and sponsors," said digital technology educator Jessica Cathro.

Cathro said there was "a lot of work going into preparing the teams for competition".

The Robocup Junior nationals will be held in Wellington in September.

Final results for first place:

Junior Theatre: Masterminds Return - Lynmore Primary
Junior Rescue: Hady - Future Gates Education
Senior Theatre: Alt + F4 - John Paul College
Senior Rescue: Hilly crew - Hillcrest High School

- Supplied content