The 2024 VEX Robotics World Championship concluded successfully on May 3 in Dallas, USA. The competition, which began on April 25, saw a total of 82 players from 19 robotics teams from high schools and below in Taiwan engaging in exchanges and competitions with over 2,000 top teams from countries around the world. Throughout the event, Taiwan’s young talents showcased their efforts and fierce determination, successfully garnering attention and recognition for Taiwan on the world stage.
Facing tough competition from a total of 489 teams worldwide, Team 78181A-Genesis from the Bilingual Section of the National Hsinchu Science Park Experimental High School stood out by clinching the Excellence Award, achieving the best performance for Taiwan in the competition. Apart from excelling in both the championship and skills challenge, they also received various awards in the judging panel, marking their outstanding achievements.
Following the competition, the Director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston, Xiao Yi-fang, congratulated the award-winning team from Hsinchu Science Park Experimental High School through a video call. She also forwarded congratulatory messages to President Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President Lai Ching-te, acknowledging the team’s remarkable performance on the international stage in promoting Taiwan’s STEM capabilities. Chairman Liu Yuan-zheng, Honorary Chairman Lee Tsai-yan, and Principal Zhang Jian-ran of the Chinese Association for Information and Technology Education, were among those who attended online to congratulate the championship-winning team.
In addition, several other teams including those from Taichung American School and Asia Pacific American School received recognition with 8 awards. Particularly, Team 66799T-AST-onishing T from Taichung American School clinched three awards including 3rd place in the World Team Challenge, demonstrating the fruits of hard work and dedication from both players and coaches. It is noteworthy that the team from Xiyuan Junior High School, affiliated with Taichung Municipal Xiyuan High School, formed just 2 years ago, represented Taiwan in the world championship. Many players traveled abroad for the first time and expressed their enjoyment of the rare international experience and serious participation, deeming it the highlight of their journey.
Since the Chinese Association for Information and Technology Education introduced the first competition in 2018, the number of teams across Taiwan has grown from 19 to 200. Students form their robotics teams based on the annual engineering design theme, completing tasks within designated timeframes to demonstrate their robot control skills. In addition to robot control, students must verbally explain their design concepts to judges and provide engineering notes, with results determined through comprehensive evaluation.
During the competition, players were warmly cared for by the local Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce in the DFW area, allowing them to savor hometown cuisine and adding a touch of warmth and emotion to their robotics journey in Dallas, bringing the event to a fulfilling conclusion.