End-Tech, from Endon High School in Staffordshire, have triumphed in their regional Lego competition for the second successive year. Their extraordinary feat of performance has earned them their moment in the national spotlight! Our Dream Team Ethan, Owen, Malachi and James joined superstar Ethan Saunders as the final member of our talented team. They demonstrated a remarkable level of talent and collaboration under intense competitive pressure.
The regional contest was extremely competitive this year, and Malachi reflected on the increased competitiveness. “Teams weren’t as bad this year,” he said, in defense of the improvement overall, which echoed the advance made by almost every other team. Even with these increased challenges, End-Tech’s creative thinking and determination to bring their project to life made them stand out.
End-Tech takes 1st place in the regional competition! Now they’ll go on to fly the flag for Staffordshire with pride at the first Lego League UK National Final this year in Harrogate. This impressive accomplishment, not their second win, serves as a testament to their developing prowess in robotics.
The team’s robot, built and programmed outside of regular school hours, includes sophisticated colour sensors that take the robot’s functionality to the next level. Owen remarked on the improvements made to their robot, saying, “We’ve got a whole different robot with colour sensors this time, that makes it a bit easier to use.” This adjustment has made a huge difference to the team’s success at knocking out the many tasks that earned points throughout the competition.
On competition day, End-Tech fended off competitors from around the region. Their stiffest competition was a contingent far-famed all the way from Bradford. The mood was palpable, with James recovering from what he called “nail biting” experience. The pressure was palpable as the team had to operate their robot effectively and deliver a presentation about its functionalities to demonstrate their understanding and technical prowess.
Even leading up to the national tournament, the team hasn’t stopped working on improving their robot. Malachi explained their commitment to improvement: “We’ve swapped to a new coding software that uses Python so it’s much more accurate than it used to be.” This drive for innovation and adaptation is indicative of End-Tech’s drive to win on the national stage.