Student Robotics 2023

As we were finalising preparations for our second year at the Student Robotics Competition at the University of Southampton, the anticipation was quickly rising once again. This time we would be going head to head with thirty teams from across the UK (and even one from Germany!) to showcase our hard work from the past six months.

With experience from Year 12, our new skills allowed us to create a more robust robot that was able to withstand the rigorous testing stage. Putting our engineering and coding skills to the test yet again, we created a successful camera system on our robot that would allow us to track and follow the tokens in the arena in real time!

Once at the university, we went straight to our team station to finalise last minute adjustments to prepare for the league matches. Tasked with competing in ten qualifying rounds, our robot not only had to perform as we had intended, but also adapt to unforeseen challenges. The creative strategies of the other teams at the competition forced us to keep improving our design, to either outrun or outwit them.

We started the league on a high with a win on our first match, and continued on to victory in seven of the ten matches. This allowed is to progress to the next stage of the competition, and as far as the quarter finals, where we faced some of the most advanced robots in the competition. Unfortunately, we couldn’t quite come out on top this time and were knocked out. 

We are incredibly proud of our success in the competition and of our immense improvements from last year. We would also like to thank all the members of staff which made this a possibility and for their unwavering support throughout last year, this year, and hopefully for many more years to come!

-Zak (Year 13)