By Samantha Simon
[email protected]
Antigua and Barbuda’s FIRST Global Challenge (FGC) robotics team is making final preparations for the upcoming competition in Athens, Greece, scheduled from September 26-29, 2024.
The team, mentored by Elijah James, is part of the DadliBots program, which has been providing free STEM education to local students since 2018.
The five-member team, comprised of students aged 14-17:
Brielle Cosbert (driver), 15, is an aspiring aerospace engineer from the Antigua Girls High School. With a creative spirit, Brielle has always been fascinated with disassembling and repurposing toys.
Lemario Clarke-Damier (leader), 17, attends the Antigua Seventh-Day Adventist Secondary School. With a passion for accounting and scientific principles, Lemario is considering a career as an information system specialist or a pilot.
Reanna Christopher (coder), 17, also from the Seventh-Day Adventist Secondary School, aspires to become a software engineer, driven by her love for numbers and equations.
Tiskna Adagale (inventory), 14, attends the St Anthony’s Secondary School. With dreams of becoming an entrepreneur, fashion model, or teacher, Tiskna brings a diverse perspective to the team.
Xion Hercules (engineer), 14, from the St Joseph’s Academy, has been drawn to sciences from an early age and is preparing for a career in civil engineering.
The team has been working tirelessly since receiving their FGC 2024 REV Robotics Kit.
Zeus – the name of Antigua and Barbuda’s team’s invention – is being developed with a focus on the “Feeding the Future” theme of this year’s challenge.
The robot’s standout feature is its advanced lifting mechanism, which the team has been perfecting in the final weeks before the competition, aiming to set them apart from the 190 other competing countries.
“We are finalising work on the lifting mechanism, which is one of the key components of the ‘Feeding the Future’ game,” Elijah James explained.
“One of the objectives of the game is to actually sort some water rubber ball elements into the various goals to get points.”
What sets Zeus apart is its ambitious design goal.
The team is aiming for their robot to carry at least eight game elements simultaneously, allowing for multiple goals to be scored in a single maneuver.
This capability, if successfully implemented, could give Team Antigua and Barbuda a significant advantage in the competition.
“We are bringing everything together in this final week,” said Elijah James.
“We’re looking forward to having a really excellent showing at the competition next week when everything kicks off on the 26th of September.”
The team’s efforts extend far beyond the competition itself.
Upon their return, the team will showcase their robot and its workings to inspire more students to engage in STEM education, particularly robotics and e-sports.
DadliBots is also working to lobby the government and the National Olympic Committee to declare robotics an official sport in Antigua and Barbuda, following the lead of countries like Belize.
DadliBots is currently fundraising to cover costs associated with the competition, and to support their ongoing STEM workshops.
These workshops, which have reached hundreds of students since 2018, provide valuable training in robotics, critical thinking, and networking.
“We really depend on the support of our corporate community,” James emphasized.
“Every donation, no matter how big or small, goes towards helping the team continue the work we’re doing with young people.”
Donations can be made online at the FIRST Global website (https://first.global/2024-nations/antigua-and-barbuda-2024/) or via email to [email protected].
As the team prepares to depart on September 22, they invite the public to follow their journey on social media channels under “DadliBots” and “FIRST Global.”
