Young Robotics Team from New Zealand Qualifies for World Championships

A team of robotics students from Palmerston North, New Zealand, has successfully qualified for the world championships after an impressive performance at the VEX Robotics National Championships. The St Peter’s College team, known as SPCBOTS, reached the elimination stage of the competition held in Auckland over the weekend, securing a coveted design award that propelled them to the upcoming event in St Louis, Missouri, scheduled for April 2024.

The St Peter’s team, consisting of Ruby Parlane (16), Nikita Holmes (17), Chloe Stewart (15), and William Flynn (16), showcased their robot named Alexander, inspired by a pope. In the competition, teams collaborated in a game called “Push Back,” where they worked together to collect balls and strategically place them into a scoring tube. If opposing teams managed to score, it would force the other balls out, adding a layer of strategy to the game. The objective also required teams to park their robots in a designated area to earn additional points.

The rules of the competition were released in May 2023, prompting the team to dedicate months to designing and building their robot. Their efforts culminated in a comprehensive 300-page information booklet detailing their robot’s features, which was twice the length of any other team’s documentation and contributed significantly to their design award win.

Holmes expressed the challenges they faced while creating their robot, particularly with adhering to size limitations. “The last thing you want is to have something hanging off of it and another robot comes past and disconnects your battery,” she noted. The team managed to engineer a ramp that could deposit balls at varying heights, a simpler solution compared to the more complex fold-out mechanisms utilized by some competitors.

One of the key challenges during the competition was the need to collaborate with unfamiliar teams. Initially, establishing each team member’s role proved difficult, but they adapted as the competition progressed.

With the world championships on the horizon, the team is now focused on raising $40,000 to fund their trip to the United States. They are also refining their robot to enhance its performance before the global event. The SPCBOTS are eager to build on their success and represent New Zealand on the world stage, confident that they can improve their design and strategy in the coming months.

As they prepare for this monumental opportunity, the team remains motivated by their passion for robotics and the potential to inspire others in their community.