Prior to a trip south of the border, the North Surrey Secondary robotics team made a playoff run at an international competition in Vancouver.
Teacher Bryan China runs an after-school robotics club involving students in grades 8 to 12. Their team name is Hephaestus, borrowed from the Greek god of blacksmithing and metalworking, he revealed.
"They are tasked with designing, prototyping, building and programming a robot all within eight weeks," China explained. "This is a very intensive, focused and competitive program, and the students gain incredible hands-on and problem-solving skills."
Those skills were put to the test at the Pacific Coliseum during a regional competition that involved 48 robotics teams from Canada, the U.S., Brazil, China and Taipei. On the first weekend of March, the three-day FIRST Robotics event was held in Vancouver for the first time, and admission was free to watch the action.
With their robot "Siren," North Surrey's team 6390 competed in a water-themed Reefscape game at the PNE arena.
"It was amazing to see all of the different robots and how each team tackled the challenge individually," China told the Now-Leader.
"Our team had a bit of a bumpy start, as we struggled with some programming gremlins, but was ultimately selected to be a part of the 5th Alliance. Our alliance made a deep run into the playoffs and finished in third place overall at the event.
"Overall, the students had a great time, learned a bunch and are excited to participate again in Idaho at the end of (March)."
In January, the club was given an Alienware gaming laptop, along with $5,000 to buy equipment or materials, as one of three B.C. winners of a "Teen Tech For Tomorrow" program launched by the Best Buy Canada retail chain.
"We are very grateful to be awarded the (grant)," China said. "This grant allows us to purchase the necessary equipment and parts required to build our robot and perform at our best. It also allows more of our students to participated in this STEM-based activity, as it covers a significant amount of cost required by the team."
The North Surrey robotics team aims to qualify for the world championships in Houston, Texas, in April.
Aside from just building a robot, China says the team has been dedicated to starting and maintaining team initiatives at the school and in the community.
"Our students have focused on raising awareness of different mental health issues and creating/providing resources to help cope and support. Additionally, we have done battery drives to raise awareness and reduce the amount of battery waste ending up in our landfills. To engage with our community and local elementary schools, we hosted LEGO League Explore sessions to inspire younger students and get excited about robotics."
As for North Surrey's 6390 team number, robotics squad are assigned a number when they register with FIRST Robotics.
"The lower the number, the longer your team has been around," China noted. "Currently there are over 4,000 active teams around the world. Team 1 is still active, and the newest team is in the 10,000s. We have been active since 2017."
The Reefscape game was launched worldwide in January for robotics competition in 2025.
"Every year the game changes," China noted. "This is the same game that is played by all teams from around the world. We have only had eight weeks to design, build and program our robot before our first competition. The game is a bit complicated upon first glance, but not all robots are always able to do all aspects of the game. Our robot was able to drive autonomously, accept the 'coral' (PVC pipes) from the human player and score them onto the reef. We were also able to remove the 'algae' (green balls) from the reef and move them into the processor. Looking forward to our next event, we plan to have some type of climbing mechanism to be able to hang from the 'deep Cage.'"
