Raspberry Pi Robot Success

On Saturday, 5 of our students met Mr Foster at Cambridge University’s Computer Labs, to take part in the International school’s robotics competition, known as Pi Wars. This involves building a robot to take part in a variety of challenges against other schools, with a Raspberry Pi computer having to be used at the heart of the robot.

Challenges included self-guiding (using sensors) and remote-controlled challenges, including a drag race, maze, obstacle course, crazy golf, target-shooting, jousting (with pins and balloons) as well as being judged on technical merits (by Robot Wars head judge, Dr Lucy Rogers) , aesthetics and the quality of the BUILD BLOG created in the months leading up to the event.

Last year, which was our first year, we came 17th out of 19. This year we came 8th out of 29 teams. These teams included state primary & secondary, independent schools, home-educator groups from places as far away as Devon and Lancashire and even teams from Turkey, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

It was a long day, from 10am to 6:30pm and they did incredibly well.

Student names are:
• Sam  Y13 – Team leader, Ideas and Coding
• Adam  Y13 – Ideas and Coding
• Sam Y12 – Ideas and Coding
• Nathanael  Y11 – Ideas and 3D printer extraordinaire (printed chassis and components at home, with his own money)
• Natasha – Blogger