Five kids in bright blue shirts practically jumped from their seats. They met each other with big smiles and a warm embrace as they ran to high-five a line of beaming judges and volunteers.
In front of the other teams, they hoisted the trophy high above their heads. The season’s logo and the phrase “first place winner” glittered in the trophy’s glass encasement.
The kids, whose matching shirts proudly showed off “Turbo Gatorbots” in green lettering, had just won a state robotics championship against 800 other teams. Now, they’re headed to the world championship.
The Turbo Gatorbots, a local team of five students from the Frazer School in Gainesville, triumphed in the FIRST LEGO League Florida State Championship in Tampa Feb. 21. The FIRST LEGO League program is a robotics tournament for students ages 9 to 16, in which participants design a robot made of Lego bricks programmed to complete missions.
The team consists of four 12-year-olds — James Du, Dennis Chi, Jacob Li and Andrew Zhao — and one 9-year-old, Daniel Chi.
“This year, winning the state championship was a really a ‘wow’ moment to us,” Dennis said.
The team designed an automated robot that completes missions, such as moving Lego pieces and rebuilding a statue, on a 4-by-8-foot table with a 2.5 minute time limit. At the competition, the Turbo Gatorbots achieved a total 525 out of 550 potential points for completing the tasks, the second-highest score in the state.
In the second part of the competition, the Turbo Gatorbots faced an archaeology-focused challenge to reflect on the past to find solutions for the future. Their task: design a solution to limit damage from digging up artifacts.
The team designed a device that uses AI and electromagnetic waves to locate artifacts underground and create 3D models of them. The device aims to make excavation less destructive by improving accuracy, allowing archaeologists to know exactly what they’re looking for when digging. They would then use tools, such as a 3D printed silicone gripper, to unearth the artifact.
The team’s design, combined with their performance on the competition table and unique robot design, earned them the state championship title — an impressive accomplishment for a team founded just two years ago.
Eric Du Jing, a UF associate professor of civil engineering, is the team's co-coach. He created the team — and now coaches it — alongside Oscar Hengxuan Chi, the father of two of its members.
They advanced to regionals their first year. This year, Hengxuan Chi proudly said the team has exceeded its expectations.
The Turbo Gatorbots have spent the last two months preparing for the worldwide FIRST LEGO League Championship in Houston from April 29 to May 2.
Twelve-year-old Dennis said the team has developed their innovation project solution into a working prototype and refined their Lego robot to increase its consistency in completing missions.
“We actually tested it in the real world, and it actually worked,” said 12-year-old Andrew. “It’s an actual practical example of sensors we’ve researched, which is one thing we’ve improved for going to worlds.”
They will compete against about 1,000 kids on 200 teams from 66 countries.
“They are representing the state of Florida, so they understand the difficulty of competing at the world level because they are going to be facing a lot of kids,” co-coach Du Jing said. “This is more than just a science project for a whole bunch of 12-year-olds.”
This is the first time a team from Alachua County has competed in the World Championship.
As they reflect on their season, the kids said they are grateful for the skills they have learned. For Dennis, teamwork is something he’s developed most.
“We learn to get along, and we learn how to communicate correctly,” he said. “We have to learn to accept other people's ideas, and maybe theirs is better than our own.”
Twelve-year-old Jacob said the most important part is what happens inside the competition. He eagerly anticipates the sense of community and support the tournament brings.
Andrew said he’s looking forward to the Houston food.
But whether it’s social connection or Tex-Mex spurring them forward, the Turbo Gatorbots won’t hesitate to showcase their hard work when they hear the starting bell.
Tess Lippincott is a contributing writer for The Alligator.
