Excellent results for Preiļi Robotics Club members at the world’s largest robotics competition “Robotex 2019”
From 29 November to 2 December 2019, the Preiļi Robotics Club team took part in “Robotex 2019”, one of the largest robotics competitions in the world, held for the 19th time in the Estonian capital Tallinn (at the Saku Suurhall sports hall). In total, more than 1000 participants from many countries of the world took part in the competition. The Preiļi Robotics Club team, several of whose members also represent Robotu skola, was represented by Edīte Meikulāne, Solvita Ragauša, Rinalds Pākste, Dinārs Kemzāns, Matīss Buks, Aldis Buks, Armands Upenieks, Matīss Dambītis.
The main competition day for our team was Saturday, when the participants competed with Mini sumo and Folkrace robots. When our members won both of these events last year we thought it could not get any better, but we were wrong, because this year our robot builders did even better!
In Folkrace, older group, Matīss Buks and Aldis Buks won 1st place in a very tense competition, leaving a place on a lower step of the podium to the inventor of the Folkrace event from Sweden, who is a multiple Swedish champion. With this success Matīss and Aldis have become two-time Robotex champions, winning 2 years in a row!
In Folkrace, younger group, Dinārs Kemzāns and Rinalds Pākste won 2nd place.
In Mini sumo, Matīss Buks and Armands Upenieks won 1st and 2nd place.
Matīss Dambītis, Armands Upenieks, Matīss Buks and Māris Bečs (graduate of the gymnasium) competed with Mega sumo robots with the support of Robotu skola, where the robot entered by Matīss Dambītis won an honourable but painful 4th place (as last year)! A strong Mega sumo team from Poland prevented a climb onto the podium of honour.
The Folkrace robot of Solvita and Edīte was the best in the qualifying rounds, but unfortunately the semi-final runs were not successful enough, which prevented a place in the final.
According to an unofficial tally of the places won, our team is in 2nd place in the overall standings among all participants.
We are pleased with the results achieved and with the fact that the gymnasium’s graduates and Preiļi robotics enthusiasts Armands Upenieks, Matīss and Aldis Buks, Matīss Dambītis and Māris Bečs work together as one team to pleasantly surprise us with success in competitions of various levels. We wish them luck in developing their next robots, as well as luck to Armands Upenieks and Māris Bečs at the Mega sumo tournament in Japan, where Armands and Māris will travel in just a week! Our outstanding competitors will represent Latvia with the support of Robotu skola! The Japanese competition is the most prestigious Mega Sumo competition in the world.
Over the three days of the competition we gained many and varied impressions. Here is what the gymnasium students Edīte, Solvita, Rinalds and Dinārs say about the experience:
“For most of us this kind of competition was a first. As it was international and one of the largest competitions, it brought even more nervousness and stress, because we had to represent Latvia. It created lasting and fantastic memories. All team members admit that taking part in the competition brought us closer together, made us trust one another and become even better friends. The participants feel that at the competition they had to cope with very difficult situations and work out what to do and how to act. Taking part in the competition, everyone saw the shortcomings in their robots and got ideas for building new robots, and now all that is needed is real enthusiasm and time to put the ideas into practice. The team really liked the mini tour at “iRobot” and “Robotu skola” in Riga, where we could see how robots are built there. The participants say that if they had the chance to change anything, they would change nothing, and if they had to go again – they would go.”
Taking part in the competition was possible with the financial support of the Preiļi Municipality Council and the Jānis Eglītis Preiļi State Gymnasium.
Juris Erts, work organiser of the Preiļi Robotics Club
