STUDENTS from Grace Christian College in Quezon City and Makati Science High School took the top prize in the second National Robotics Competition (NRC) finals on Saturday as students from various school levels battled it out using their custom-built automatons.

Makati Science High School, who won in the “open” category, will represent the Philippines in the 11th International Robot Olympiad that will be held at Daejeon Metropolitan City, South Korea, in December. 

The two-day event was held at the Music Hall of SM Mall of Asia. Top-prize winners received cash, plaques and robot kits.

The second NRC was organized by the Genetic Computer Institute, INEX Singapore, Nido Science Discovery Center, SM, Honda and the Pinoy Robot Games Foundation. 

Pinky Legaspi, VP of the organizing committee of the NRC, said it is the only event “where you can use any robot type.” She explained that other competitions only allow robots purchased from the sponsors.

Legaspi said that students participating in the NRC could use any parts, such as those taken from electronic devices or appliances, and any computer programs they wanted to use.

“It’s brains, not brands,” she added.

The tournament was divided into two categories: open, wherein students were tasked to create a presentation based on a theme; and regular, where students were tasked to build a robot designed to battle in a “sumobot” match.

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Studeudeudents from Makati Science High School (above) receive their prizes in the National Robotics Competition, while a student(top left) from Cebu Institute of Technology prepares his entry before the competition. JAMES MEMDOZA

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Students are tasked to construct two robots that “will do tasks that represent harvesting, sorting of grains, storage, transporting to market, feeding of animals, and switching of irrigation and biogas.”

The foundation said the project engages students in “applied-learning activities” that are contextualized to the Philippine setting.

The mainstay “sumobot” competition, aptly described as the “wrestling of the robots,” has a simple premise, which is to push the opponent robot out of a makeshift dohyo (sumo ring).

Robots battling in the sumobot match must not weigh more than 500 grams, and must not exceed dimensions of 15 cm by 15 cm.

Twenty-one schools joined the open category, and 33 schools participated in the sumobot matches, with some schools further divided into a number of teams. Pasay Mayor Wencaslao “Peewee” Trinidad graced the opening of the competition.

When asked what they get from robotics, one student said, “Skill and experience from doing our own programming.”

Alexander Calvin Ng, Grace Christian College’s young champion, simply said his interest in robotics was developed from his interest in science.