Nanyang JC students take first place in global RoboCup competition

A Singapore team made up of three Nanyang Junior College students emerged victorious at the RoboCup world championship in Montreal, Canada, last month.

Samuel Tan, Leong Heng Yew and Fadhel Erlangga Wibawanto, all 17, defeated 22 teams, including opponents from Taiwan and Japan, who were known for their abundant coding experience and advanced strategies.

After six vigorous matches, the Singaporeans came in first in the Individual Team and SuperTeam Champion categories of the RoboCup Junior Rescue League Rescue Simulation Contest.

It was not the first time two of the team members had won. Samuel and Heng Yew have defended the title every year since 2016.

But they both believed that their first victory was a fluke, when the Iranian team, one of their strongest competitors, made mistakes and got eliminated.

This year, the trio created an autonomous programme, instructing their robot to collect and deposit objects at designated areas in a virtual simulation.

They expressed appreciation towards the Japanese team, who exchanged useful pointers with them in February.

The students displayed unrelenting determination as they juggled their RoboCup commitments and academic responsibilities.

They worked on their coding in between lessons and conducted research during their spare time for four whole months.

TESTS

Just a day after returning from Canada, the trio took their mid-year block tests.

Samuel said: "We could do it only because we never got complacent, and had the passion to keep going despite tough times."

Mr Soh Wei Kuan, 43, the team's mentor, acknowledged their feat and said: "I am proud of my students for placing Nanyang Junior College and Singapore on the world map of robotics."