Cayman will once again have representation on the global robotics stage as the Cayman Islands National Robotics Team, an initiative of Dart’s Minds Inspired programme, prepares to compete in the 2026 FIRST Global Challenge on 7-10 Oct. in Icheon, South Korea.
The FIRST Global Challenge is often described as an Olympics-style competition for robotics, bringing together students from nearly every nation to compete, collaborate and represent their countries on a global stage. Much like traditional athletic events, it celebrates robotics as a sport – one that demands strategy, teamwork, creativity, technical skill and perseverance.
This will be the eighth year Cayman has competed in the FIRST Global Challenge.
Glenda McTaggart, senior manager of education programmes at Dart and team manager said selection to the national team is a significant achievement.
“These students distinguished themselves through their performance, dedication and commitment during the interschool FIRST Tech Challenge tournament earlier this year,” she said. “Last year, [Cayman’s robotics team] placed 34th out of 191 national teams – the best-ever finish for Cayman – and we’re expecting another strong performance this year.”
The 2026 FIRST Global Challenge will operate under the theme of ‘Igniting Innovation’ and will task participating national teams to design and build robots that can help reduce the impact of wildfires, protect communities and support environmental resilience in a changing climate.
The Cayman Islands National Robotics Team consists of nine students from local public and private schools: Daniel Branis (Cayman International School); Luke Comley-White (Grace Christian Academy); Dimari Dewar (Clifton Hunter High School); Nicolas Havlin (St. Ignatius Catholic School); Kyla Machingambie (Cayman Prep & High School); Christopher McTaggart (Triple C School); Raam Palakkal (Layman Scott High School); Allyandro Shand (John Gray High School); and Stefan Szczurko (Cayman International Sch
In addition to the robotics competition, Branis of Cayman International School will lead the Cayman team in the Igniting Innovation New Technology Experience, a programme that challenges each national team to develop solutions to real-world fire-related problems affecting their home countries.
As part of this initiative, the Cayman team will focus on addressing recurring fires at the George Town landfill by improving fire detection and response capabilities, thereby, reducing the release of toxic fumes into the air. The team hopes to be selected as one of only 10 teams invited to present its prototype solution in South Korea.
“Daniel was chosen for his strong skills in research, coding and programming, which are essential as our solution is expected to be highly technology – and software-driven,” said Namitha Abraham, team mentor and manager of project delivery at Caribbean Utilities Company. “We believe Daniel brings strong leadership and technical capability, and this allows us to fully leverage that strength to position ourselves more competitively on the global stage.”
In addition to Abraham, the Cayman team will be supported by mentors Desmond White (John Gray High School); Kyle Farrington and Cedric Worthmann (CUC); team manager Glenda McTaggart (Dart); and past team members Kieran Finch (2018), Craig Maitlin (2018) and Teejhan Hansraj (2022).
To learn more about the robotics team and to follow their journey to Icheon, follow @mindsinspired on Instagram and Facebook.
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