Team SVG triumphs at global robotics competition

TEAM SVG ROBOTICS emerged victorious at the FIRST Global Challenge held from the September 26 to 29, 2024 in Athens, Greece in four rounds of competition.

MATCH 204 OF the Robotics competition

The team, comprising Shekinah Campbell, Nolandre Dallaway, Jordin Harrington, J-Don Matthews and Nicholai Williams, under the guidance of mentors Brodlon Daniel and Ozni Daniel, stood out by securing first place among OECS teams, and finishing second in the Caribbean, behind Puerto Rico. With their robot, Octavius, they powered through various challenges and earned top spots, demonstrating innovation and skill throughout the competition, a release from Daniel states.

At the start of the competition, Team SVG was ranked 176th out of 180 teams. However, their perseverance and strategic gameplay quickly began to show results. The release stated that due to a logistical oversight the team missed their first match, but am however, was able to climb to 47th place as the competition progressed, thanks to strong performances in subsequent rounds.

By the end of the second day, they had already made significant strides towards the top by becoming leaders of their alliances.

Throughout the competition, teams were randomly placed in three-team alliances to tackle the game. In each of their alliances, the St.Vincent team was a key contributor, responsible for an average of 70 per cent of the total alliance scores in all matches that they played. This consistent performance demonstrated their strategic importance in every match, making them the backbone of many successful alliances and their robot a machine to be envied.

Octavius was the star of the competition, showcasing groundbreaking innovations such as a modified 4-stage cascade lift, a ‘gate’ for scoring balls, and its side arms. Its ability to hold six balls at a time allowed the team to score heavily in each challenge.

The robot’s versatility (its ability to do any task on the field if needed), and precision made it one of the most reliable and effective machines in the competition, enabling the team to outperform many of their competitors, the release also stated.

The local team representatives have given credit to the NTRC, St.Vincent Manufacturing Company, OT Tyre Ltd, FLOW, TCCU, Gibsons Building supplies, VINLEC, Invest SVG, Bickles, GECCU, National Lottery and the CWSA whose contributions provided the necessary resources for the team to compete at a high level.

With FIRST Global Challenge 2025 on the horizon, Team SVG Robotics looks forward to another successful season.

Until then, they are already planning for the interactive demonstration of their robot, Octavius, at the 2025 VINLEC Science Fair.