End-Tech, the robotics team from Endon High School in Staffordshire, notched a tremendous victory. For the second year in a row, they took first place in their regional competition! The jubilant five-member team—Owen, Malachi, James and two other teammates—demonstrated exceptional talent and collaboration. They prevailed against a stiff competition, including a tough entry from Bradford.
This year’s competition focused on STEM principles and engaged participants in designing and programming robots that could perform tasks outlined by the judges. End-Tech’s robot, equipped with advanced colour sensors, showcased the team’s innovative approach. They designed, wired and coded the robot both during and after school, iterating to make the robot run better every step of the way.
This year’s competition was more fierce than ever. As Malachi unsurprisingly observed, “Everyone’s a lot better this year. The judges then awarded points to teams for their effectiveness in tackling each of these tasks. End-Tech’s careful planning, paired with smart improvements to their robot, led them to be able to score big points when they counted the most.
Owen highlighted a significant upgrade in their coding strategy, stating, “We’ve swapped to a new coding software that uses Python so it’s much more accurate than it used to be.” This change played a major role in boosting the robot’s efficiency and reliability throughout the contest.
The team attacked robot challenges in interdisciplinary pockets. In addition to their competitive first robot, they presented an engaging presentation about their robot, clearly displaying their understanding and passion for the project. Their mix of technical skills and clear, persuasive communication propelled them to outperform their peers on a competitive stage.
End-Tech has now won their competition in the regional contest! They’ll now go on to proudly represent Staffordshire at the prestigious First Lego League UK National Final later this year in Harrogate. For their team, this opportunity is a huge step forward as they get ready to compete at the national level for the first time ever.