A team of Taiwanese high-school students advanced to the championship of this year’s FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) in the US after competing in the four-day San Diego Regional.
The team, consisting of 41 students from Taipei Municipal Chien Kuo High School robotics club, was one of four teams that emerged victorious from the 51 teams competing in the regional event to secure a spot in the FIRST Championship in Houston next month.
According to FRC rules, “teams of high-school students are challenged to raise funds, design a team brand, hone teamwork skills, and build and program a robot to compete against other teams” within a limited timeframe and with restricted resources.
Photo: CNA
That experience simulates real-world engineering as closely as possible for students, the competition’s Web site says.
At the regionals, the Taiwanese students advanced through the first two rounds, but lost twice and did not make the regional finals. However, they directly qualified for the championship after winning the tournament’s FIRST Impact Award in recognition of their contributions to their community.
The other three teams to advance were the two regional finalists and the winner of the tournament’s Engineering Inspiration Award.
The Taiwanese team since 2019 has collaborated with the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families to provide hands-on robotics education for disadvantaged students and promote robotics learning in elementary and junior-high schools.
Chang Chen-wei (章宸瑋), a second-year high-school student, said he learned a lot from the US participants and that they “did not just come here to compete.”
The local teams valued more than just wins and losses, Chang said, adding that he was impressed by their collaboration and enjoyment of the process, which allowed them to showcase their individual talents.
The FRC is an annual tournament featuring more than 3,000 teams worldwide. This year’s San Diego event marks the 19th edition of the regional competition.
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