Penpol Pumpkins

Well, that was intense!

The Lightning Round is a special event that only happens at large events like this, where teams are paired up together to complete the challenge in a slightly different way. For this competition the two teams were assigned at lunchtime and had only a few minutes to work together on planning a whole new mission strategy…

90 seconds, two tables, one scoresheet.

The aim is to work together to score as many points as possible between the two teams, who are in turn playing in a knockout match against another team. This requires a lot of planning, adjusting missions and running orders and working well under a huge amount of pressure (nobody wants to let the other team down!)

We were thrilled to be partnered with Team Bob from Greece, who are from FutureLab Robotics Academy. Working together the team “Bobkins!” Managed to make it through not just the first and second rounds, but also the quarter final, semi final and got right through to the final itself!!

After an excellent final run from both teams they came in third place with a remarkable combined score of 335! Well done Team Bobkins!!

After a bumpy start yesterday, the Robot Games team came back fighting today and managed to greatly improve on their scores. In the first two matches they achieved 215 points each and in the final match they reached 195. We didn’t get to our ‘perfect’ score of 345, but given the pressure and unusual conditions in the arena they did really well!

There’s one more game to come later – the Lightning Alliance round, where teams are paired up and have to work together. Check back later for more on that!

Today is the final day of the WPI LEGO Final and it’s the Robot Games engineers who will be taking center stage today as they play their final three matches. However, they certainly won’t be alone as the rest of the Pumpkins will be cheering on their every move from the side of the arena.

We discovered yesterday that the Robot Games matches here are much more intense than those back in the UK, but we’re all in fighting spirits today and, most importantly, we’re ready to have a lot of fun!

If you’d like to follow the Pumpkins today the event will be live streamed through Twitch here: https://www.twitch.tv/wpirobotics

Here are some key timings of when the Pumpkins will be in action on Sunday 11th June:

Robot Games Round 3: 🇺🇸 10.06am / 🇬🇧 3.06pm

Robot Games Round 4: 🇺🇸 11.10am / 🇬🇧 4.10pm

Robot Games Round 5: 🇺🇸 11.42am / 🇬🇧 4.42pm

Closing Ceremony: 🇺🇸 3pm / 🇬🇧 8pm

Today we had ups and we had downs, new friends and new challenges.  We wowed the presentation judges and laughed with teams from around the world at the team party carnival.  Here’s our video diary of the day, as told by the Pumpkins.

Tonight all the teams taking part were treated to a carnival party at WPI to celebrate their achievements and to make new friends.

The Pumpkins enjoyed the rides and attractions, the food and drinks and socialised with children from all around the world. Everywhere you looked there were little clusters of orange jumpers chatting to other children with plenty of laughing and giggling going on.

Tomorrow we’ve got three more rounds of the Robot Games to look forward to, as well as the Lightning Round where we’ll be paired up with another team to face the Robot Games together! Stay tuned!

We’ve just wrapped up the first two matches on the Robot Games table and it’s safe to say that they didn’t go quite to plan.

In the first match the game mat on the table lifted up which caused the turbine to tip slightly which in turn caused the robot to get stuck. It wasn’t ideal, but it’s just the way it goes sometimes.

Unfortunately the second match didn’t pan out so well either, due to the subtle difference in the way the rules are interpreted in the UK compared to the USA. Our scores weren’t what the children hoped for on either match and I think it’s safe to say they left the arena feeling quite deflated.

However, when there’s a challenge to overcome you should never bet against the Pumpkins.…

Within minutes of the second match our four Robot Games Engineers were back at the practice table, re-writing two of their programs and scoring a brilliant 265 in a quick final practice run through. The resilience that these children, with a special shout-out to Jenna, have shown today is utterly incredible.

Tomorrow we return to the arena with three more games to play.

The Pumpkins have just had their 30 minute judging session where they shared their Innovation Project and Robot Design presentations. The judges were laughing and smiling throughout and the children presented the learning and answered the judges questions with such confidence and shared their experiences with them. We won’t know the scores until tomorrow, but the children came out absolutely buzzing and said they thought it went really, really well.

In the words of James B – “ooof, HOME RUN!!!”

Only 15 minutes until the opening ceremony, we’ve all got our flags at the ready!

Watch live here: http://www.twitch.tv/wpirobotics

If you’d like to follow the Pumpkins today the event will be live streamed through Twitch here: https://www.twitch.tv/wpirobotics

Here are some key timings of when the Pumpkins will be in action on Saturday 10th June:

Opening Ceremony: 🇺🇸 10am / 🇬🇧 3pm

Robot Games Round 1: 🇺🇸 4pm / 🇬🇧 9pm

Robot Games Round 2: 🇺🇸 4.48pm / 🇬🇧 9.48pm