Sensor ON at the WPI Annual FIRST LEGO League Championship 2024 – a lesson about friendship and the pride of being Romanian
Between June 7 and 9, 2024, on the campus of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in the United States, one of the most important educational robotics competitions in the world, the WPI Annual FIRST LEGO League Open Championship, took place.
Among the 108 participating teams from all over the world was Sensor ON, the club team Inventika Place from Bucharest, who proudly represented Romania, with the support of the ARTESA Association.
Participating in this competition was more than just a tournament. It was an educational and human adventure that began with visits to MIT and Harvard University, where the children had the opportunity to see up close the world-famous robotics laboratories, the place where science becomes a dream and dreams become reality.
Throughout the competition, Ruxi, Theodora, Dacian, Ștefan, Radu and Darius demonstrated what teamwork, perseverance and passion for robotics mean. From the first trials, emotions intertwined with the joy of discovery, and each round meant progress: from a score of 240 points at the start, to a final result of 465 out of 550, ranking the team in 15th place, an impressive performance for an international participation of such magnitude.
Beyond the numbers and rankings, the true value of this experience was in the team spirit and the friendships created.
In the new alliance challenge, Sensor ON teamed up with the representatives of Paraguay, who were at their first international competition. Strategies were translated between Spanish, English and Romanian, emotions between looks and smiles.
„"Your English is fantastic, better than mine," one juror told them during the project presentation. Another left a message on the Romanian flag: "I love your attachments!", an extraordinary appreciation for the creativity and technical solutions found by the team members.
The atmosphere in Worcester was extraordinary, a combination of passion, competition and friendship.
The Romanian team TehnoZ from Pitești won the Engineering Award Finalist title, and the two teams supported each other throughout the competition.
„"Come on Romania!" was heard loudly in the hall, where, for a few days, our colors meant courage, creativity, and spirit.
We thank the partners who made this dream possible:
Schneider Electric Romania
SA Therapy
At the Fountain Romania
GTS Telecom
Exim Romanian Bank
NOVOMATIC Romania
Accenture Romania
And, last but not least, we thank the parents, coach, and volunteers who were with the team every step of the way.
Sensor ON returned home without a trophy, but with something infinitely more valuable: the confidence that passion, education, and collaboration can take you far.
In a world where technology sometimes separates us, these children have shown that robotics can unite.