The Waiakea High School robotics team recently returned from Japan after another successful performance at the 24th International Micro Robot Competition at Nagoya University.
This was the Waiakea team’s ninth consecutive year competing in the contest, which included nearly 100 robot entries from universities in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand.
The Waiakea students worked after school for many months building, programming and testing robots of only 1 cubic inch and 1 cubic centimeter in size.
The team entered robots in four of the seven categories and earned nine awards. Senior Logan Sato earned an impressive four honors, including third place in the cubic cc category, speed/slalom; second place in the cubic cc category, hill climb; second place in the cubic inch category, autonomous; and third place in the cubic inch category, remote control.
Junior Dylan Hong took first place in the cubic inch category, remote control and sophomore Nathan Yoshida won first place in the cubic inch category, autonomous with a time of three seconds, tying a course record set last year by the Waiakea team.
Sophomores Justin Erece and Nagahiro Ohashi took second place in the cubic inch category, remote control and third place in the cubic inch category, autonomous, respectively. Collin Olive, an eighth-grader at Waiakea Intermediate competing with the high school team, received a “best design award” for his driving in the cubic inch speed/slalom category.
“Many of the other teams were amazed when they found out we were a high school team competing in a university dominated contest,” said chaperon and Waiakea robotics adviser Dale Olive.
Participating students were prepared by mentors Chester Lowrey, Riley Ceria and Waiakea High School teachers Eric Hagiwara and Olive. The robotics team and its advisers appreciate Waiakea High School and its principal, Kelcy Koga, for hosting and supporting the robotics program.
Also aiding in the team’s success was a county grant, used by researchers at the University of Hawaii at Hilo to create an after-school program called the Science Factory, which encourages students to pursue STEM careers and helped to fund this year’s effort.
