Shorted robot can't dim Team China's spirit

WASHINGTON - Team China got a lesson in static electricity this week in the 2017 FIRST global robotics game.

The team was among 163 teams from around the world competing in the inaugural For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Global Challenge (FGC), an international robotics game held from July 16 to 18.

Each team was made up of between three and seven students, ages 15 to 18.

FGC teams compete in randomly assigned three-team alliances. Two alliances face each other at a time during each round. The alliances' robots need to work together to complete objectives and earn points.

Team China entered the final round in second place, and Chen Zhe, an eighth grader from The Affiliated High School of Peking University, said his squad "was going to fight even harder in the final round to close the current gap between first place and us".

But China's team got a lesson in how machines, even robots, can malfunction.

The team's robot got stuck at the corner of the field at the beginning of its final round and stalled, grounding the other two allied teams.

After the final round, Chen and the others investigated what went wrong before accepting that they had missed out on the gold, silver and bronze medals.

"It was really a small-probability event," said He Xuguo, technical coach of the team. "Our robot crashed and was reset due to the static electricity between the robot and the floor, which disconnected the remote control and the robot."

But it didn't take long for the students to cheer up and socialize with their new international friends.

"Most of my students are experienced in various robotics competitions. Besides, this is really not much of a results-oriented competition. Results are important, but there are many other important things," He said. "For instance, you need to learn how to collaborate with your allies by communicating, negotiating with and persuading each other."

This year's challenge's theme, H2O FLOW!, focused on water security issues. Each year, a different issue of global importance will take center stage as the FGC theme, which will be held in a different nation. The next FCG is scheduled for Mexico City.

"We are going to need so much innovation to reach the world that almost everybody wants to have, and we need all the inspiration and innovation that emerge from every country in the world," said Kent Hughes, a member of the executive advisory board of FIRST Robotics, who was involved in the early planning of FGC.

"I find it personally inspiring to see all these young people who are taking on these challenges and already thinking ahead," he said.

Team China leader Chi Yufeng, a 10th grader at the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China, said that "what's special about the FGC is that it's really global. You are facing hundreds of cultures and languages, and you need to find a way to communicate with people from various backgrounds."

FGC also awarded prizes for innovation, technical design, inspiration and teamwork.

Yuan Yuan in Washington contributed to the story.

China Daily