Goan students to participate in world’s top robotics competition

And a moment of pride for Goa, as it is for the first time that a Goan team, ‘LegoGoa Axi0m’ has accepted the challenge of building a large size robot. On December 28 that FTC team LegoGoa Axi0m became the first customer for the Additive Manufacturing hub inaugurated at the IT Department in Altinho. For the requirement of high precision and efficient parts, the team requested AM hub to 3D print a claw that will be used to grab and lift cones as part of the required task for First Tech Challenge. IT minister Rohan Khaunte presented the team with the part that has been custom-printed in the hub. The lab provided the claw free of cost, thanks to the government.

A Goa-based club started in 2018 by LEGO enthusiasts to assemble Lego toys, the LegoGoa Axi0m has students in age group 12-17 with Aditya Pai, Avneesh Dangi, Aaryan Gole, Aniket Bhatikar, Dhruv Desai, Parth Patil, Sai Pranav Gandhi, Shaunak Hede, Samihan Pangam, Taksh Parekh, Vedant Abhyankar, Viraj Marathe, Vighnesh Shetye and Venkatesh Dempo as team members.

The team has participated in Makex International Invitational Robotics competition conducted at Bangkok (Thailand) and has won the ‘Inspirational team award’ at the First Lego League 2018 and was also awarded the first place in MakeX India 2020. It participated in the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) at National level, two members have won the National level 'Google Code To Learn Contest’. The team has secured the third place for People's Choice awards for their VOX app designed for 2021 MIT App inventor Appathon for Good. They also made into finalists of the 2020 MIT App inventor Appathon for Good. One of the members secured the Top Student Ambassador Award in Codeavour 2020 AI Coding Competition.

“FTC is a multi-faceted competition that puts a lot of obstacles/challenges in your way but in doing so brings out confidence and leadership qualities and proves to us that the journey is more important than the destination,” said Aditya Pai. Aniket Bhatikar feels that FTC has offered a great opportunity to learn about STEM education. The team is learning and solving this under the guidance of their coach Saieesh Gandhi. For Taksh Parekh, “It is a great project that can boost student's building, coding, fund-raising and teamwork skills, which can be applied in the real world later on.”

For those who have heard it for the first time, FIRST Tech Challenge is the ultimate sport for the mind. High-school student participants call it ‘the hardest fun you’ll ever have’. It is played under strict rules, limited time and resources, teams of students are challenged to raise funds, design a team ‘brand’, hone teamwork skills, and build and programme industrial-size robots to play a difficult field game against like-minded competitors. It’s as close to real-world engineering as a student can get to. Volunteer professional mentors lend their time and talents to guide each team.

“It inspires us to believe that there is potential in every child to change the world. It gives you a knack to solve complex problems, brings in innovative ideas and promotes community service,” said Shounak Hede. For Venkatesh Dempo, “FTC is not just a challenge; it is more like an adventure.”

Since an amount of Rs 5 lakh would be required for purchasing the hardware required to build the robot every rupee that comes in is counted. One of the parents, Akshaya Dempo, has taken up the role as team manager and coordinated maintenance of the accounts. Another parent Leena Hede is raising sponsorships and has managed to collect Rs 80,000. Dr Rajashree Marathe has helped in Tshirt design and printing. The team is conducting paid workshops on robotics to raise funds. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has assured to sponsor Rs 2 lakhs. Other preparations are meticulous too. Researching information available on the internet and seeking help from other FTC teams is on.