After years of finetuning, reprogramming and debugging their robots, Isaiah Myles and his John Gray Technology teammates managed to secure first place at the annual Minds Inspired Robotics First Tech Challenge on Saturday, 24 Feb. They were followed by the John Gray Robotics team, who finished in second.
Myles, 15, is an aspiring mechanical engineer who hopes to one day secure a job with the national flag carrier, which was a driving reason behind his decision to join the John Gray Technology team four years ago.
“Every year we’ve gone and developed improvements,” said Myles, whose team missed the first place spot last year, having been narrowly beaten out by Cayman International School.
“We came so close to winning but fell short, so we took inspiration and came back to win,” he said.
The annual Minds Inspired Robotics First Tech Challenge provides high school teams with the bare components necessary to build and programme their robots.
But building a functional robot is only half the battle.
Each team must then put their robot to the test across a series of obstacles and challenges to test its agility, precision and durability.
“This programme is extremely important, and not just from the technical, mechanical or programming side,” said John Gray High School science teacher Desmond White, who helped to guide the students in the process.
He added, “It teaches them problem-solving skills, which are transferable into any area of life. So a student who does robotics will function no matter the challenge.”
The national programme is part of the First Global Challenge, an international robotics competition which gives youth the chance to develop solutions to emerging problems through Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
This year’s national competition saw teams from Cayman International School, Cayman Prep & High School, Clifton Hunter High School, John Gray High School, Layman E. Scott High School, St. Ignatius Catholic School and Triple C School.
Each year, schools are given the option to either field two teams or work alongside a team from another school.
Though the competition can be intense, organizer Glenda McTaggart says the students often learn the value of teamwork.
“I was really impressed with the amount of cooperation between the different schools and teams, which is a big part of the First Robotics Programme, ‘Gracious Professionalism’ is one of the mantras,” said McTaggart.
By competing in the national competition, students become eligible to join the national team and represent Cayman at the international competition, which is held in a different country each year.
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