A team of students from Savio College, Dingli, recently won a robotics competition in Rome called The Rescue Line. A total of 20 teams took part in the competition this year, with 10 of them making it to the final. Savio College participated with two teams this year – Team George, composed of Sven Livori, Matteo Cassar Darmanin and Julian Baldacchino, and Team Roberto, including Juan Micallef, Grant Ciantar Lautier, Mattias Pullicino and Jean Sant.

A typical Rescue Line arena. The placing of the items varies from one match to another.

Preparation for the competition started at the beginning of the scholastic year last September. The participating teams had to build and programme an autonomous robot that could follow a path consisting of various obstacles, such as speed bumps, uphills and downhills, seesaws, intersections, U-turns, obstacles and debris, and pick up a rescue kit. The robot then had to go into an evacuation zone, place the rescue kit in the rescue area, save the victims trapped in the evacuation zone and place them too in the evacuation area. All of this had to be done in less than eight minutes.

To build the robots, the students worked mostly after school hours during holidays and weekends. All the students’ work was discussed and monitored by their robotics and computing teacher Charles Axisa, who constantly supported them in the competition and during the work sessions during and after school hours.

To build the robots the students worked mostly after school hours during holidays and weekends

Ninety per cent of the robots were 3D printed using the school’s 3D printers. Besides designing the robots’ brackets and working on all the wiring and soldering of the basic parts, such as switches and sensors, the students also programmed the robots.

The actual competition was held over three days last weekend.  The play-offs were held on the first two days and final on the third day. In the play-offs, Savio College’s teams placed second and fourth. In a very emotional final, Team George won the competition, while Team Roberto placed fifth due to an unfortunate failure of a colour sensor.

Preparing the robots for the play-offs.

Team George checking the evacuation zone code before the play-offs.

Team Roberto fixing broken wires after the first match in the play-offs.

Team Roberto on the left and Team George on the right after the play-offs, together with the two referees Domitilla Diena (left) and Lorenzo Sangiorgio.

The winning team – Team George – with the referees and their teacher.

The college students were also accompanied by Geography and History teacher Elaine Scorey, and after the competition was over, she made their stay in Rome even more interesting by preparing special cultural tours for them to places like the Colosseum, Imperial Forums, Caracalla Baths, the Vatican and Castel Sant’Angelo.

An edited video of the final match by which Team George eventually won the competition may be viewed below.