The 19th National Undergraduate Robotics Competition “ROBOCON” was held from October 24th to 25th. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, each participating school participated in the competition via live streaming. Under the guidance of teachers ZHANG Xichen, LI Hui and LU Zhen etc. from the School of Advanced Engineering, USTB of the MEI Team designed and produced a robot for the competition. It received full marks in both the throwing and kicking demonstration. The team won first prize in the 19th ROBOCON Green Field Competition.

Group photo of the MEI team

According to the competition’s requirements, each participating team had to design two robots capable of completing two tasks:  making 10 throws and 10 kicks of a rugby ball through a designated goal. The full possible score for each task was 100 points. In the event there was a tie for the number of successful throws or kicks, winners would be decided based on time, with the final result of the competition being determined based on each team’s overall score.

Students setting-up for the competition

In preparation for the competition, for a long time team members and instructors could only communicate via online video conferences, and could not carry out the work of physically constructing their robots nor testing them, which made the preparation period much shorter than in previous years. In order to complete preparations as efficiently as possible, the MEI Team members often worked until the early morning, repeatedly experimenting and adjusting their robots, being forced to surmount one difficulty after another since returning to school. Eventually, relying on solid technology, extraordinary perseverance and calm attitude, they achieved excellent results in the competition.

The members of the MEI Team not only had an opportunity to develop their skills and accumulate experience, but also built strong friendships and won high honors through the competition. Since the 2021 ROBOCON invitation was released, the MEI Team is preparing for the next competition and once again winning recognition for their work.