Ryan Chadwick – Mathematics Teacher

Zero Robotics is a robotics programming competition where teams of High School students from around the world compete for a chance to test their robot inside the International Space Station. Last Friday, the Emanuel team along with 50 other schools spent a day at the University of Sydney attending a training course in this technically challenging game. We participated in a Mathematics and Coding session to assist us in controlling our robot.

There are several phases to the competition which involve the use of a virtual simulation environment to enable teams to refine their strategies. The preliminary game requires each team to collect the most points by taking photos of the opponent’s robot or collecting one of the score-generating items, whilst maintaining fuel and memory levels.

It is a valuable learning experience for each team member, as they need to work collaboratively, delegate tasks, communicate effectively and be highly organised. It is a challenging task, and we are looking forward to seeing our robot compete.

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On 21 July, a group of Years 8, 10 and 11 students went on an exciting excursion to the University of Sydney as part of the introduction to the Zero Robotics programming competition where the robots are programmable SPHERES that are inside the International Space Station. The competition starts online, where teams program the SPHERES to solve an annual challenge, this year being a game. After several phases of virtual competition in a simulation environment that mimics the real SPHERES, finalists are selected to compete in a live championship aboard the ISS. An astronaut will conduct the championship competition in microgravity with a live broadcast. Additionally, each team is provided with a current USyd student as their mentor. The mentor will guide the team through the process of learning the code and the logistics of the competition.

Adina Sheps – Year 10

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Gabriel Bogomolets – Year 11

Once the students arrived, they were welcomed by the kind staff that took them to a lecture hall for the first part of the introduction where various staff talked about the game rules and the agenda for the day. After the introduction, the students were moved to their assigned rooms for their first workshop of the day, Maths. The majority of students attended the beginners/intermediate course whereas the more senior years attended the advanced course. The students learned about vectors and other mathematical principles that are crucial to know for the competition.

During lunch, the students got the opportunity to meet and socialise with other students from other schools. Next, the students listened to an inspiring talk from an aerospace engineer who helped build/design a number of rockets that were sent up to space and even assisted in landing a rover onto the Rosetta comet. He addressed the students about ways to get into the field of aerospace engineering, and additionally told his story on how he became who he is today. It was an extremely inspiring story. Lastly, the students went off to their last workshop on coding, trying their hand at programming in ‘C’, the language used for the competition.

By and large, it was a glamorous, enjoyable and insightful day that wouldn’t have been made possible without the staff of USyd and everyone involved with the planning, including Mr Chadwick. We are for the most part feeling extremely confident and eager to see where this competition takes us.