Radley’s VEX Robotics programme is a deserved source of pride, and an important aspect of the Curriculum Extension Programme (CEP) – this year took the College’s students to new levels of success.
After a busy Vex Robotics season (during which more boys competed in regional competitions than ever before), three Radley teams travelled to Telford International Centre last weekend for the National Championships. ‘Icarus’, ‘Ibex’ and ‘Ringo’ (starkly contrasting in name!) played strongly in the teamwork competition, wowing the judges over the two days of qualifications, with the 6.2-manned ‘Icarus’ reaching the final through an alliance with Gordonstoun School. Ultimately, Radley earned two invitations to the World Championships in Dallas – the third year in a row the College’s engineers have reached such a prestigious stage in the competition.
On arriving in Dallas, Icarus and Ibex received a hero’s welcome through an Olympics-style ‘Parade of Nations’, encountered ‘robot dogs’ at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Centre, and enjoyed some local Texan cuisine. With the teams donning battle-ready Union Jack bucket hats (Icarus debuting their drift-worthy ‘Daedalus’ robot, via a hype video compiled by Uzair (6.2, H)), the teams competed bravely – their artificial creations tasked with traversing a playing field, and placing rings of different colours on mobile and fixed poles, through a mix of automation and manual steering.
Icarus won their division’s ‘Energy Award’, with Head of Robotics Mr Alastair Vaan describing the boys’ efforts as, “a real journey of character and resilience… They will be back. I‘m sure of it.”
