Australian Team Emerges in Top 3 at Vex World Robotics Competition in Louisville, Kentucky
Melbourne, Australia – 26 April 2016 – Innovate Technology and Robotics Academy, Innovate Ahead Group Pty Ltd
Two students from Innovate Technology and Robotics Academy based in Melbourne, were in Louisville, Kentucky to represent Australia at the Vex Robotics World Championships 2016 over the last weekend from 20 April to 23 April 2016.
Innovate Academy students, Alex Konakov and Dhiluka Mapa from Balwyn High School and Glen Waverley Secondary College respectively aced the Vex IQ Robotics World Championships to emerge 3rd place in the World for the Vex IQ Teamwork Challenge Middle School which is the first for Australia to attain such an achievement.
The Vex Robotics Competition is the world’s largest robotics competition according to the Guinness Book of Records with more than 1,100 teams participating from many countries around the world.
Both students began their robotics journey more than two years ago at Mount View Primary School’s After School Robotics Academy, part of Innovate Technology and Robotics Academy’s school based STEM programs and went on to participate in various regional and national robotics tournaments, winning awards in these robotics tournaments for their primary school before qualifying to participate at the Vex Robotics World Championships in Louisville Kentucky.
Alex Konakov and Dhiluka Mapa of Team Robotic Boomerangs (10629E) are the first team in Australia to win a top award at the world’s largest robotics competition. They impressed judges, referees and spectators alike at the World Championships Vex IQ Bankshot Challenge with their impressive robot design which had a sophisticated intake system and firing mechanism which saw their team climb up the ranks with each game. The Vex IQ World Championships saw more than 200 teams participating to see who would emerge tops and be crowned World Champions.
The Bankshot game requires students to build a robot using the Vex IQ system to knock off balls, collect as many as possible and shoot them into a Scoring Zone or Goal and park their robots on a ramp, all within one minute.
“Sophisticated intake system”, “engineering marvel” and “flawless game strategy” were comments made by game officials and spectators when Team Robotic Boomerangs worked with alliance teams to clear up the field to score full points in many of the qualifying games and finally clinched their spot in the top 3 of the Vex IQ World Championships.
Innovate Technology and Robotics Academy aims to excite students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects by providing robotics and technology programs to government and independent schools from Foundation to 12 and conducts teacher professional development courses. Innovate Academy also aims to increase student’s creativity and innovation with its various robotics competitions through the year.
