The group is divided into two teams with Team A composed of Andre Perez, John Lechter Alerta and Trisha Nicole Alejandrino while the Team B members include Zowee Mhey Aquino, Prinze Charsev Camaongay and Jose Mario Nudalo. The students come from SmartKidz Enhancement Center, which is located in Danao City.
Team A placed third at the 14th Philippine Robotics Olympiad last September 11 while Team B finished fifth. The event was held at SM North Edsa. Galatico “RD” Camaongay III accompanied Perez, Alerta and Alejandrino in Qatar for the annual event. Aside from the three, John Cartilla, Elijah Iligan and Priam Ortega also joined the event. Cartilla, Iligan and Ortega are grade four students of Caridad C. Labe Center for Excellence of Lapu-Lapu City.
The program was designed to increase interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics by holding robotics competitions. Camaongay said Cebu has already participated in the national event in the past with Science and Technology Education Center students from Lapu-Lapu City winning the event in 2010. The students have also competed in a number of international events in Russia, Malaysia and South Korea.
He added that he will act as the guide for the students when they solve problems, which essentially entails the application of their lessons in school.
It was necessary for the students to design a robot capable of exploring and investigating harsh environments. The students designed a robot with the capability of exploring the sea for pearls. The team was able to score 100 points within 27 seconds after two test runs and beat the other participants in their category.