Eight Smith’s Hill High School students are preparing to take on the world after being crowned Australian robotics champions.
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Two Smith’s Hill teams competed against students from all over the country at the FIRST Australia competitions held at Macquarie University over the weekend.
The Year 10 team of Jaya Ryan, Harrison Babister, Patrick Hutton and Kai Dreyfus-Ballesi, which is named The League of Relatively Ordinary Gentlemen, won the Australian FIRST Tech Challenge after weeks of intense preparation.
“We are glad our efforts paid off because we spent a lot of time working on it,” Harrison said.
Inspired to get involved in robotic programming after studying a robotics elective at Smith’s Hill taught by TAS teacher Brendan O’Connor, the students then undertook more learning outside of school, developing their skills and eventually running workshops for junior students.
Mr O’Connor said the robotics elective had been very popular with a number of students inspired to go on and undertake Engineering Studies in their senior years.
“I think the students like trying something new, they enjoy the design aspect and the ability to get instant feedback in terms of what the robot will do,” Mr O’Connor said.
The League of Relatively Ordinary Gentlemen team coach Phil Hutton said the FTC competition involved challenges based around programming, strategy, robot design and construction, team work, business planning and community outreach.
“The boys have learnt a lot about working as a team and adapting to solve problems,” Mr Hutton said.
He said support from the IMB Community Foundation, UOW’s School of Mechanical, Mechatronics and Materials Engineering, Smith’s Hill High School and WMA Water has been invaluable in helping the team achieve its goals.
The SHHS Year 8 team, named The Knights That Say Ni, and made up of Lachlan Cocca, Nick Wilson, Luin Mulvihill and Jiah Pang, won the Australian FIRST Lego League and said they had learnt a great deal from being involved in the competition.
“The best part about being involved is building the robot and meeting all the great people,” Luin said.
“It is good being the champions but the aim is to encourage students to aspire to become engineers,” Jiah added.
Both teams will now go on to compete at the world championships in St Louis in the US, in April 2016.
