By: Aditya Kaushik and Sam Francis Lokanata, Secondary 3 Peace

BBS Bandung Robotics' team won 2nd runner-up in this year's MakeX Robotics competition held in BBS Kebon Jeruk, Jakarta, last 27- 28 October 2022. The team was composed of  Darren Christopher Demetrius (Sec 1 Courage), Melfan Sunjaya (Sec 1 Courage), and Willard Nathan Tjie (Sec 2 Zeal).

After 2 months of training, the team managed to defeat 55 other robotics teams that came from all around Indonesia. 

Mr. Alvin Rebultan, the BBS Bandung coach, expressed his happiness on this year's MakeX competition, Jakarta round:

'It felt different. A few weeks after our MakeX Malang round where we did not reach the finals, we finally had another chance in Jakarta so it was pretty challenging for us to make sure we were ready for the competition. I am very happy because we won!'

The Bandung coach also added that the team has worked hard to bring uniqueness into every one of their mBots, and strived to use that distinctiveness to make their robots stand out. 

As Willard of Sec 2 said, 'Our mBot was unique because it had some unusual components compared to those of the other teams. We had a servo made specifically for one specific task.' (Servo motors are used for robotic applications that require precision positioning.)

The team also mentioned the value of teamwork and how it became a factor to their success in the said competition. The team has also qualified for the next round happening in Thailand before the year ends.

More than a month ago, on 29-30 September 2022 , the BBS Bandung team also competed in the MakeX Malang round but the team did not make it to the finals. Despite not winning,  the students who participated in the Malang round namely Willard Nathan Tjie (Sec 2 Zeal), Cedric Benedict Wijaya, Daniel Reagan, and Mukhil Balasubramanian  (all from Sec 1 Courage) and Hansen Lu and Cruz Ethan Pranoto (both from Primary 5) expressed the importance of what they have learned from their experience.

Mukhil mentioned, 'We were the only ones with the second version of the mBot in which the CyberPi was directly connected to the brain of the mBot. This featured the updated Ultrasonic Sensor, Line-Following Sensor, and Battery-Life.' 

Mukhil added that despite their hard work and the spectacular new features of their mBot, their team did not make it. He further explained that a mix-up of Bluetooth connections had interfered with their original code, which had severely affected some of their mBots' abilities, leading  these mBots not being able to perform some of their intended functions. 

Although this had been a major setback, the team did not have any bad feelings over the incident, and instead used it to drive their motivation and do much better in the upcoming Makex competitions. 

Mukhil ended by saying, 'MakeX has brought many great opportunities to students like me. It built my interest in coding and programming mBots. I even got to go to BBS Malang for the first time and I really enjoyed that. I am looking forward to the future MakeX competitions.' 

MakeX is a robotics competition platform that promotes multidisciplinary learning with the fields of science and technology. It aims at building a world where STEAM education is highly appreciated and where young people are passionate about innovation by engaging them in exciting Robotics Competitions. -https://www.makex.cc/en/about