SumoBot Robotics Competition Success 

Cranbrook students from Years 8 and 9 have spent the last two months taking part in a SumBot Robotics Challenge which involved a combination of design, construction, and programming of autonomous robots. The school’s junior and senior teams competed against a number of schools including Kambala and Granville Boy’s High School, culminating in a final against St. Scholastica’s, with the junior team securing first place and the senior team following closely in second. 

The competition tasked students with the creation of Sumo robots – autonomous machines designed to push opponents out of a circular arena, or dohyō, mirroring the principles of sumo wrestling. This contest not only tested the students’ technical skills but also their strategic planning and collaborative efforts. 

The junior team of George McIntosh, Angus Baker-Wood, Nick Long, Tamati Firth, William Vavayis, Edgar Ford, Kenneth Mai and Thomas Boyd were victorious in the final against the Cranbrook senior team of Ted Boss, Mickey Chen, Oscar Peake, Hudson Woolford and Kevin Chu with a bot that performed flawlessly throughout the competition.  

The teams encountered and surmounted several significant challenges throughout the competition. The design of the robot chassis was critical, necessitating a careful balance between robustness and flexibility. Students explored various materials and configurations to develop a chassis that could endure the competition’s demands while maintaining effective maneuverability.  

Another complex aspect was the integration of sensors into the robots. These sensors were imperative for the robots to detect their opponents and the arena’s boundaries, necessitating the use of infrared and ultrasonic sensors. The precise calibration and alignment of these sensors were crucial for the robots’ performance under competitive conditions. 

Perhaps the most challenging aspect was programming the robots for autonomous operation. This required the students to engage deeply with coding, developing algorithms to guide the robots’ movements and strategies. This aspect of the competition demanded technical proficiency and a sophisticated understanding of strategic principles. 

This competition gave Cranbrook students the opportunity to explore robotics, electronics, materials science and coding and the excellent performance of our teams bodes well for future robotics competitions. Look out for further STEM opportunities next year if you are interested.  

Ross Fryer
Technology and Applied Studies Teacher