Young SA robotics team takes world title

31 October 2024 News

In a demonstration of innovation and teamwork, Texpand, a South African youth robotics team based in Cape Town, recently made history by winning the 2024 FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) World Championships. The team’s success was assisted in part by high-tech polymer components donated by polymer supplier, igus, whose contribution played a valuable role in enabling the team to achieve world-class performance.

According to team director and mentor, Greg Buckle, the victory not only highlighted the potential of South Africa’s youth in the global robotics arena, but also showcased how the collaboration between industry and education can lead to extraordinary results. The FIRST Tech Challenge is a prestigious international robotics competition designed to ignite a passion for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) among high school students. Teams of young school-going ‘engineers’ are tasked with building and programming robots to perform specific tasks in competitive matches, which are designed to mimic real-world engineering challenges. Each season, teams face a brand-new robotics game and are given about four months to design, build, and refine a robot to outscore their opponents.

A turning point for the team’s 2024 season came when igus, through their Young Engineer Support programme, donated various polymer components, including Drylin linear guides, telescopic rail slides and energy chains. These components proved pivotal in the team’s success.

For the upcoming 2025 season, the team has already received additional polymer components from igus and is hard at work designing new robotic prototypes. Team Texpand’s goal is to defend their title while simultaneously raising the level of competition in South Africa by mentoring and supporting other teams through a programme called IGNITE, an initiative aimed at expanding robotics education in South Africa.

Any companies wishing to offer sponsorship, assistance, or mentorship, to please contact Lynn Robinson at [email protected]

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