Robotics team prepares for international showcase.

A team of eight engineering students from the University of the South Pacific is set to compete on the international stage at the prestigious Asia-Pacific Robotics Competition in Hong Kong next month. These students have dedicated significant effort to designing and building robots from scratch, aiming to showcase their technical prowess and innovation.

This year's competition theme, "Kung Fu Quest," presents a unique set of challenges. The team has developed two distinct robots to tackle these tasks: one is manually controlled, while the other utilizes artificial intelligence to autonomously identify and locate necessary components. The robots must be capable of assembling a staff and weapon, retrieving a Kung Fu Scroll and a box, and finally competing in a game of Tic-Tac-Toe.

Team captain Mahonilai Hakaumotu shared his motivation, drawing inspiration from previous international robotics competitions. He highlighted the demanding nature of the competition, noting, "The challenges that I faced joining Robocon are that I thought that they were going to give some kind of robotic kits for us to build from there. But then, here we have to build it from scratch." This requires the students to source their own materials and equipment, adding another layer of complexity to their preparation.

The team has been diligently preparing for the competition since November of the previous year. They are scheduled to travel to Hong Kong in August to represent the Pacific region in this significant event, which will take place from the 21st to the 25th of the month. Their participation marks a notable achievement for the university and the region in the field of robotics.

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The challenges that I faced joining Robocon are that I thought that they were going to give some kind of robotic kits for us to build from there. But then, here we have to build it from scratch. So, we have to go buy our own materials and equipment to build our own robot, to accomplish the task that was given.