Robotics Students Win Silver Medal

Robotics students Matt Hayes (level 2) and Ben Smith (level 1) beat last year’s champions from University of West England to achieve second place at the national UK Skills Mobile Robotics competition. This is an intensive two day event on 11-12 June 2009 and the students have to program a Festo Robotino robot to achieve tasks using its advanced sensors. The task set this year was to program the robot to build multi-level structures.

“The students worked really hard, and actually had a more intelligent algorithm controlling the robot than the winners. In my mind, they were the real winners” said Sam Wane, Senior Lecturer in Robotics and trainer for our Staffordshire team.

Other universities competing were Middlesex and University of West England.
UK Skills, a not for profit organisation, manages the delivery of innovative, high profile competitions and awards which showcase excellence and demonstrate how exceptional performance improves individual and organisational success.

Established in 1990, UK Skills works to raise the profile of skills in the UK and oversee the UK’s premier set of skills competitions, WorldSkills UK. UK Skills also manages the UK team entry to WorldSkills, the biggest skills competition in the world. Most recently UK Skills spearheaded the bid to bring WorldSkills to London in 2011. WorldSkills London 2011 will be a truly global showcase for skills and young people from across the world.