Workforce Common Robots was absolutely the rookie crew taking part in intense, qualifying rounds in Nevada. The brand new UR sponsored crew, consisting of 12 handpicked highschool college students from throughout Denmark, met powerful opposition, shaped alliances with different groups, and finally positioned higher than extra skilled contributors. The crew is now making a groundswell of curiosity in robotics amongst Danish youth.
The worldwide FIRST Robotics Competition has greater than 70,000 contributors from the USA and Asia. Europe, nonetheless, is conspicuous by its absence with fewer than 100 contestants. Regardless of Denmark’s flourishing robotic business, the nation had not had a robotic expertise crew in FIRST earlier than Workforce Common Robots entered the sector in Las Vegas earlier this month.
The initiative was launched by RobotLab founder Lars Ringe in collaboration with the Danish Academy of Gifted Youth with an funding of USD 75,000 from Common Robots. The brand new crew had solely 4 months to construct a robotic to unravel an extended record of duties, reminiscent of scaling obstacles, selecting up and capturing balls. On the qualifying spherical in Las Vegas, the 12 Danish excessive schoolers have been up in opposition to groups with decade lengthy expertise in FIRST, many with 50- 100 members on every crew, with fairly just a few contestants already in faculty. Regardless of the chances stacked in opposition to them, Workforce Common Robots ranked 12 out of fifty groups after the primary rounds and ended up putting 40<sup>th</sup> general. The consequence didn’t qualify the Danes to proceed to the finals in St. Louis later this month, however in keeping with Lars Ringe, one thing far more vital has been created:
“The quantity of consideration this crew has created in Denmark – we noticed a major quantity of media protection, together with appearances on nationwide broadcast TV – has invigorated the curiosity in robotics amongst younger individuals. That is simply step one. We’re now in a a lot better place to organize our crew, all members wish to compete once more subsequent 12 months. We’re additionally doubling the crew now, recruiting 12 extra contributors. And let’s not neglect; we have been nonetheless in a position to beat 9 very skilled groups,” concludes Lars Ringe, who’s now busy increasing and enhancing the workshop in Copenhagen the place Workforce Common Robots quickly might be joined by the brand new recruits.
