IDC Robocon 2010 Blog
About IDC Robocon

Since 1990, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Tokyo Institute of Technology have been organising the International Design Contest (IDC) Robocon. University students from all parts of the world gather for this annual contest that takes place at a different host country each year. Coming from different cultures and backgrounds, students gather for two weeks to share ideas and knowledge on robotics and develop a winning robot design. This year’s IDC Robocon is held in Shanghai from 5 to 18 August 2010.


Due to SUTD’s collaboration with MIT, the invitation to participate in this year’s IDC Robocon is extended for the first time to students in Singapore. Winners of SUTD’s “Robots for a Better World” contest received an all expense paid trip to take part in IDC Robocon 2010.


Follow these 10 winners on their learning journey and see how they translate their ideas on robotics into reality!
 
Contestants

Name: Lee Wei Jian
Age: 20
School:
Singapore University of Technology and Design
Name: Lee Jia Wen
Age: 20
School:
Singapore University of Technology and Design
Name: Brandon Chen
Age: 21
School:
Singapore University of Technology and Design
Name: Wang Li Juan
Age: 21
School:
Singapore University of Technology and Design
Name: Sunardi
Age: 22
School:
Singapore University of Technology and Design
Name: Wang Yu Feng
Age: 16
School:
Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)
Name: Leong Hei Kern
Age: 16
School:
Singapore Polytechnic
Name: Agrim Singh
Age: 17
School:
Anglo-Chinese Junior College
Name: Ng Elay
Age: 19
School:
Victoria Junior College
Name: Lee Kok Wei
Age: 20
Occupation:
NSF
Contest Diary

DAY 13: GOODBYE … 再见… ADEUS… AU REVOIR… SAYONARA…
Farewell party.
Some tears, some kisses.
A whole lot of laughter and hugs.
DAY 13: THE FINALS
The final showdown! Watch Wei Jian (Purple-Blue) and Jia Wen (Clay) battle it out with Yellow and Green. Who will eventually triumph?
DAY 12: FROM STRANGERS TO FRIENDS
12 days ago, we were complete strangers. We came from different schools, have different personalities and interests. We aren’t even the same age! The youngest person in the Singapore team is only 16 and the oldest is 22. We wondered, will we be able to get along?
LIFE IN SHANGHAI
Curious what life is like in Shanghai? Especially campus life? Get a glimpse of it through our experiences in SJTU and Shanghai.
DAY 11: MYSTERY MEAT
Much had been said about the horrors of campus food, from Wei Jian’s daily sarcasm about his “beloved breakfast” to Kok Wei’s declaration that the food tastes “weird”. Today I shall give everyone a lowdown on the mystery meat we have been eating : )
DAY 10: THE TRUE MEANING OF IDC ROBOCON
It wasn’t just about winning or losing, or even building the best robot. IDC Robocon was a rare experience, an amazing journey for all 65 of us.
DAY 10 (PART 3 – MORE PHOTOS!): A ROLLER COASTER RIDE … WITH OUR BABIES
More photos documenting one of the most intense days of our lives.
DAY 10 (PART 2 – WEI JIAN & JIA WEN): A ROLLER COASTER RIDE … WITH OUR BABIES
Never would anyone guess that the dark horse team (Clay team) would actually make it to the finals.
DAY 10 (PART 1): A ROLLER COASTER RIDE … WITH OUR BABIES
Seeding contest. This has to be one of the most intense days in our lives. Watching our robots perform was like being on an emotional roller coaster.
DAY 9: A DAY OF DRAMA – UP IN SMOKE!
It was a day of drama. Today was the official test run for all teams’ robots. Just a few hours before that, Hei Kern’s robot went up in smoke!
DAY 8: WILL OUR ROBOTS COME TO LIFE?
Today, we were scheduled for our first test run. Find out if our robots officially came to life… or not.
DAY 7: CLOSER AND CLOSER…
It’s amazing how the days have simply flown past. We are now terrifyingly close to the seeding contest. Just 3 days away. Yikes! Join us as we hit the last leg of our journey…
DAY 6: HALF TIME UPDATE – YU FENG, ELAY & JIA WEN
Counting down… 4 days to the seeding contest! Check out how we are doing…
DAY 6: HALF TIME UPDATE – LI JUAN
Counting down… 4 days to the seeding contest! Check out how we are doing…
DAY 6: HALF TIME UPDATE – WEI JIAN
Counting down… 4 days to the seeding contest! Check out how we are doing…
DAY 6: HALF TIME UPDATE – BRANDON
Counting down… 4 days to the seeding contest! Check out how we are doing…
3 WAYS TO SAY…
… And people say engineers are bad with words. Watch the video to see how Wei Jian debunks that myth!
A MATTER OF 90 SECONDS
Here’s a short post to explain the format of the contest. Uh oh, our fates will be decided in 90 seconds!
Find out how…
AFTER 6 – IT’S PARTY TIME!
5.58 pm, 5.59 pm… And the clock strikes 6! That’s when the real action starts! We live for these moments. Ha! After hours dinners, sightseeing, shopping…
DAY 4: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SINGAPORE… AND KOK WEI!
Our robots are slowly taking shape. Today is a double celebration for us. It’s National Day and Kok Wei’s birthday!
Come experience our joy!
DAYS 3 & 4: SLOWLY BUT SURELY…
Our robots are starting to come alive! Painstakingly, with each piece of wood and metal that we have sawed, filed, drilled and soldered together!
Catch us in action!
DAY 2: CAN WE DO IT?
We are in for a big challenge to build a robot in 7 short days. Most of us have never used such ‘big’ equipment to cut materials before.
Find out whether we will survive!
DAY 1: THE ART OF TRANSLATION
This is the first time Singapore is taking part in IDC Robocon, it’s such a privilege to be part of this!
Find out how we communicate with people from other countries!
SHANGHAI, HERE WE COME!
From Singapore Changi Airport, to Shanghai Pudong International Airport, and finally to Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Follow us on this journey!