THE robotic team ‘Robodes’ from Chung Ling Butterworth High School is eagerly preparing to showcase their skills at the upcoming FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) World Championship this month.
The world tournament will be held in Houston, Texas, United States, from April 17 to 20.
Robodes is one of the two teams that have successfully earned their place to represent Malaysia in the prestigious tournament. The other team is Pasirian Rex from SMK Permatang Pasir.
Representing Robodes are Teh Bing Quan (team leader), Tan Ethan, Chuah Leon and Lee Yu Heng.
Pasirian Rex is represented by Arash Badlishah Huzainol Hisham, Kash Damia Maira Mahadzir, Kash Dania Aydina Mahadzir, Ainur Amylia Md Isa and Muhammad Akmal Farish Effendy.
FIRST Tech Challenge is a robotics competition designed for secondary school students to compete head to head. Participants are tasked with designing, building, and programming a robot to compete in an alliance format against other teams.
According to Bing Quan, this marks the first time his team has qualified for the FTC World Championship.
“This is our debut at this world tournament. Previously, another team from a different batch represented our school. So, it is a first for us but a second for our school.
“Overall, it is a very rewarding experience for us to compete on such a global stage and we will do our best to win every category, to make our school, state and country proud.
“Our robot is built from a reusable platform, powered by Android technology, and can be programmed using various levels of Java-based coding.
“Our team will be leaving for Houston on April 12, although the world championship will be held from April 17 to 20. We will also be accompanied by our mentors who were former students of our school,” Bing Quan told Buletin Mutiara during the interview session recently.
Bing Quan added that the team preparation so far has been very good.
“We are doing a lot of brainstorming sessions and discussing our ideas to devise more robust solutions for our robot.
“We train almost every evening after class, focusing on research, coding and enhancing teamwork.
“All the programming and coding tasks are done by ourselves based on tutorials on YouTube and guidance from our teacher Cikgu Norhazimah. We source parts from the Penang Science Cluster (PSC) and other companies to construct the robot.
“The coding and programming processes are meticulous and time-consuming. Our robot is not in its final shape yet. There are a few refinements needed. However, the programming is almost completed,” he said.
Bin Quan also thanked ViTrox Corporation Berhad for their generous sponsorship of RM30,000, which will cover the team’s travel expenses.
“Our heartfelt appreciation also goes to our school for their RM10,000 sponsorship. Building a robot is not cheap, costing us around RM10,000.
“We hope everything will work according to plan during the competition and hopefully we will bring some good news soon,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chung Ling Butterworth High School principal Aye Choy, who was also present during the interview session, gave his unwavering support to the team.
“We wholeheartedly encourage our students to join such competitions as they can spark a passion for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).
“Through these competitions, students have the opportunity to develop STEM skills, practise engineering principles, and learn the value of hard work, innovation, and teamwork.
“After all, STEM is our future and we do fully support our students’ involvement in any competitions or activities related to STEM,” he said.
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix by Siti Nuratikah Rahmat