Northern Ireland Regional 2021-22 results

The friendliest teams in the region joined forces at the iconic W5 science discovery centre to challenge the FIRST Tech Challenge game, FREIGHT FRENZY at the Northern Ireland Regional Tournament. 8 local teams rallied together and stormed the game field with impressive game strategies and collaborative alliances.

We want to say a huge congratulations to all teams, veterans and new, who competed with such Gracious Professionalism that we can all learn from.

Here’s how they scored on the day…

Team scores and rank

Log in to the scoring system to view all UK rankings

Table key

Team Awards

Control Award sponsored by Arm, Inc. Winner
UK-344, 21000, FSL Robotics 2022, Friend’s School

“This award is about using innovative thinking to solve game challenges. The process of trial and error, test and improve is essential to designing and building a robot that functions – that is, one that the team is in control of, and have confidence that their designs and adaptations work.

“So many teams showed these qualities but for us one team in particular stood out and encompassed all and more that was required. This team employed a number of modes of operation when using their robot, they converted rotations and ‘ticks’ into precise distance, they adapted a guide to fit their specific needs and programmed from scratch. They also planned for future competitions, looking constantly for ways to improve their robot.”

Design Award Winner
UK-046, 21007, The Wallace High School

“This judged award recognises design elements of the robot that are both functional and aesthetic. They really focused on good design and functionality and reacted to change with ease. During testing the arm, they improved the grip with cushioning, they also used 3D printing to test different wheel types to help them choose the correct wheels best suited to provide better friction levels.”

Innovate Award sponsored by Raytheon Technologies
UK-381, 21116, UK MCB, Methodist College Belfast

“The innovate award celebrates a team that thinks outside the box and has the creativity and inventiveness to make their design come to life. This was the first year this team has entered and they really rose to the challenge. They spent a short time on initial build with remaining time spent improving the build after testing iterations.”

Connect Award Winner
UK-049, 19274, Dungannon, St. Patrick’s College

“The connect award, as the name suggests, is all about sharing knowledge and learning and this is a key value of FIRST and the competition. Sharing helps to build on the positive outcomes of participating in a competition like this and helps to inspire the future.

“The team who really stood out for us as contenders for this award created an easy and engaging rapport from the outset. Their enthusiasm and approachability were a natural combination that made them ideal ambassadors for robotics engineering. As final year students, they shared their knowledge with Year 8’s at school, they planned – though were able to fulfil because of Covid-19 restrictions – a special workshop for families. They had a friendly sense of humour, were competitive without being cutthroat, and were a genuine and pleasant group to talk to.”

Think Award Winner
UK-159, 21194, RBAI, Royal Belfast Academical Institution

“This award is about using creative thinking to remove engineering obstacles. Tackling design and engineering problems with clear, rational thinking is a key to successful robotics – thinking like a robot might think, solving a problem step-by-step.

“Again, all teams demonstrated this critical thinking but we want to single out one particular team who showed this skill on a number of levels. When having trouble with their robot’s claw, they used trial and error to come up with an effective solution. They initially tried JAVA programming before changing to block-based coding to simplify and clarify the process. Their hand-drawn diagrams in their notebook were clear and impressive, and their notebook itself showed so much effort and thought.”

Finalist Alliance
UK-051, 20955, Belfast High School
UK-381, 21116, Methodist College Belfast
UK-159, 21194, Royal Belfast Academical Institution

Winning Alliance
UK-344, 21000, FSL Robotics 2022, Friend’s School
UK-049, 19274, St. Patrick’s College
UK-046, 21007, The Wallace High School

Inspire Award
UK-051, 20955, The Resistance, Belfast High School

“The team comprises of students from different groups and backgrounds and this resulted in a harmonious relationship. The chemistry between the team was exceptional. They rose to the challenge and supported each other throughout the journey and always remained professional.

“The team have set a plan of action to keep this club and work to inspire years below to take part in the robotics challenges. Community outreach and sustainability were core values in this team and it showed in their final design with up-cycled components. Not only this, they had exceptional algorithms, considered user experience and ways to limit their penalties.”

Photo highlights

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Alrighty! A round of applause for Northern Ireland and to our wonderful partners at W5 for hosting the event and volunteering their amazing staff. We want to thank all Game Changers who donated their time to make sure this event ran smoothly, you rock. We can’t wait for next year with more inventive robots and new teams taking on the challenge.