Canterbury Robotics Team Gives Their All at Final Qualifier of the Season

Have you ever seen robots play basketball? On February 14, Canterbury joined dozens of robotics teams from across Connecticut at the Hartford Armory for the First Tech Challenge Qualifying Competition. While the “CyberSaints” did not make it to the state championships, their tenacity and scrappy strategy impressed the judges, and the team came away with experience, insight, and new ideas for next season.

The CyberSaint’s robot, “Dictator Jr.,” came to “life” through the efforts of the whole team under the guidance of faculty member Rodrigo Avila Hernandez. David Peng ’27 and Yifeng “Kevin” Chen ’26  built and refined their creation, which was controlled by Hung Cheung “Spencer” Wang ’26. Yuxuan “Bob” Chen ’27 provided the code that kept Dictator Jr. running. And because every team needs managers to keep things going smoothly (and to present to the judges), Madeline Lavertue ’27 and Maya Krett ’26 were on hand to handle the details. Fellow team members Lathrop Johnson ’27 and Lee Liu ’29 weren’t able to make it to the Armory, but were there in spirit.

The competition pairs teams in two-on-two, basketball-like matches. Robots were tasked with scooping up "artifacts" (balls) and launching them precisely into a goal. Judges and commentators were quick to point out the CyberSaints’ formidable defensive strategy. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to advance to a fourth round of competition, but the team can nevertheless be proud of their performance, having won two of their three matches. 

And never let it be said that these resourceful roboticists came away empty-handed! While at the competition, they built two drones, which are now at home on the hilltop.

“We ended up facing really strong teams in an alliance,” reflects Mr. Avila. “I am proud of the students because they showed up and were ‘graciously professional,’ as the First Tech motto says. They had a great season, and we're excited to do even better next year.”

Congratulations, CyberSaints! We can’t wait to see what you have in store for us next year!