On 14th and 15th July 2018, MMU held the MMU Robotics Challenge 2018 (MMURC 2018). The two-day competition ultimately saw Sekolah Menengah Jenis Kebangsaan (SMJK) Katholik from here emerged as champion of Category A (Forms 1 to 3), with the 1st runner-up being Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Gajah Berang. For Category B (Forms 4 to 6) both the champ and 1st runner-up were teams from Sekolah Berasrama Penuh Integrasi (SBPI) Selandar.
A total of 34 teams from 22 secondary schools from all over Melaka participated in the competition, with each team comprising between two and four student competitors and one teacher advisor. Each team is required to build their own robot, which is then tasked with circumnavigating a maze. The maze has seven checkpoints, and the fastest robot to escape is the winner.
Open to secondary schools in Melaka, the MMURC 2018 is an event organised by the Faculty of Engineering & Technology (FET), which also offers the university’s Bachelor of Engineering (Hons.)(Electronics majoring in Robotics and Automation) and the competition was funded by National Marketing and Enrolment (NME).
A few months before the competitition, the participants were invited to attend workshops conducted by FET. Assisted by Roboforce, an organisation comprising MMU students and alumni, the participants experienced the feel for making robots by themselves, in preparation for this tournament. During the competition, the participants also were able to apply what they learned during the workshop. Working as teams, they fine-tuned their respective robots and did their best.
With that observation, MMURC 2018 was considered a success. Congratulations to FET and everyone involved!
