Pinoy kids go for gold in Beijing robotics competition

^{_{Holding up their school colors, Grace Christian College students Ana Isabel Chua and Kimberly Claire Gamboa (center) will be joining a 40-strong contingent representing the Philippines in the 16th International Robotics Olympiad in Beijing, China, from November 5 to 9, 2014. With them are Lead Coach Melvin Matulac (leftmost), GCC school officials and other team coaches. Regina Layug-Rosero}}

 

Two students from Grace Christian College will be leading the way to Beijing, China, in the hopes of bagging a gold medal in robotics challenges. Grade 9 student Ana Isabel Chua and high school senior Kimberly Claire Gamboa, winners of the 2014 National Robotics Competition (NRC), will be representing the Philippines in the 16th International Robotics Olympiad (IRO), which will be held in Beijing, China, from November 5 to 9, 2014. 

 

Teen inventor Angelo Casimiro, who made headlines earlier this year with his electricity-generating shoes, is a winner of the 2014 NRC Sumobot challenge, and will also be part of the Beijing-bound team.

 

The entire Philippine contingent will be composed of over 40 participants, not counting parents, coaches and sponsors. The other participants will include students from Chinese Community School, Colegio de San Juan de Letran and Pasig Community School. The entire delegation will be guided by lead coach Melvin Matulac and coaches from the individual schools. 

 

As champions of the 2014 NRC, Chua and Gamboa’s journey to Beijing will be sponsored entirely by Data Science and Technology Corporation (DSTC), from their travel and accommodations to the robotics kits and software they will be using in the competition. DSTC and the participating schools seek out other sponsors to finance the participation of the rest of the Philippine contingent. So far no support has been provided by the Department of Education or the Department of Science and Technology. 

 

Chua, Gamboa, Matulac and the other coaches were introduced to the media in a press conference last Friday, August 15, in Ortigas. Grace Christian College President Dr. James Tan was also present. 

 

The Philippine team will become even bigger when they are joined by the winners of DSTC’s Creative Robo Fest, happening in Don Bosco Canlubang on September 12, 2014. The winners of this upcoming competition will also be sponsored by DSTC so they can compete in the Beijing competition. 

 

What happens in an international robotics competition?

 

Each International Robotics Olympiad revolves around a theme. Some themes that have been used in previous years include natural disasters and caring for the elderly. For 2014, the theme is “Stop global warming.” 

 

International robotics competitions are very similar to international sports competitions. Twelve to fifteen events take place over the course of three days, with four or five events happening simultaneously each day. Each event usually takes up an entire day, so individual participants can join a maximum of three events for the entire competition. 

 

Lead Coach Melvin Matulac described the events in the Olympiads, “These contests require the children to build the robots from scratch on the day of the contest. So they come in with all parts dismantled, and they have to show that they can build it on their own. Coaches are not allowed to approach.” Even the software used to program the robots have to be built on-site. After three days of contests, the fourth day is for a social gathering, followed by the awarding. 

 

DSTC has been sponsoring Filipino participants to the International Robotics Olympiad since 2007, when it was held in Singapore. In 2013, the IRO was held in Denver, Colorado, where the Philippine team won its first gold medals, thanks to Colegio de San Juan de Letran Calamba students Nicole John Garcia and Hans Simon Calderon. The team also won 6 silver and 5 bronze medals, as well as 7 special awards. Grace Christian College was part of the 2013 team, along with De La Salle Santiago Zobel School. 

 

Building the robots

 

How exactly does one train for a robotics Olympiad? Like athletes, the participants practice constantly. Matulac explained that the participants do a lot of research. They read about the theme, think of solutions, and design robots that might be able to execute those solutions. They refine and revise their plans and designs over and over, and when they are ready, they start to build. 

 

“The early part of preparation would be the research, then the conception of what they have to build. Coaches guide them as to parts they need. After the parts are prepared, they start building it, testing to see if it’s working. Once they have gone through this stage of prototyping, and they have done thorough testing, they have to dismantle it, build it, dismantle it, build it, time themselves. It’s like what gun enthusiasts do: when you dismantle a gun, you put it back together, you have to time yourself, how much time did I take? They have a lot of time pressure when the contest happens. Then there’s also the programming. Sometimes coaches, very experienced coaches especially, put bugs in the program and make sure the students will be able to find it and fix it in time.”

 

Learning from the machines

 

Matulac believes that robotics is good training for problem solving, and teaches young people to work with their hands, do research, and find practical applications for math and science theories and concepts. It also teaches them determination and creativity. 

 

Matulac said, “You know, it’s different when the idea comes from us adults, and then they just follow our instructions, rather than when they suddenly have this ‘eureka’ moment, they have this idea and are able to make it, and you just helped them along the way. Fail or not, it’s still their idea. And they will not give up until they see it through. Maybe it’s not successful for this year, but we will stick to it because it’s their idea. That for me is the rewarding experience.” 

 

DSTC is a private corporation that provides robotics training kits and learning modules to schools. — TJD, GMA News