PrepaTec teams reach division semifinals at FIRST Championship

Mexican robots! PrepaTec’s Lambot, Botbusters, and Nautilus were the best Mexican teams at the 2023 FIRST Robotics Championship, in which 6 other Tec de Monterrey high school teams also competed.

619 teams from 30 countries around the world competed at the 2023 FIRST Championship, with the 3 aforementioned PrepaTec teams making it to the competition’s playoffs.

PrepaTec San Luis Potosí’s Lambot, PrepaTec Eugenio Garza Sada’s Botbusters, and Nautilus from PrepaTec’s Mexico City campus advanced to the competition’s semifinals in the Newton, Johnson, and Curie divisions, respectively.

The 9 PrepaTec teams, along with 3 from Tecmilenio, were part of the Mexican delegation made up of 19 teams participating in 8 divisions in the robotics championship that took place in Houston, Texas.

“We have a substantial presence at the FIRST Championship. Watching the Tec teams compete makes us very proud,” said Victor Gutiérrez, Rector of Operations at the Tec. “For the students, it’s an incredible experience of companionship and teamwork at a global level,” he said.

What’s more, PrepaTec’s Eugenio Garza Sada team, Botbusters, was recognized in its division with the Creativity Award.

3 PrepaTec teams in playoffs

Unlike the previous year, in which only 2 PrepaTec teams managed to get to the next stage of the FIRST Championship, 3 were chosen this year to form alliances competing in the playoffs.

Last year, Lambot and Botbusters made it all the way to the quarterfinals. This time, both teams once again reached the playoffs, along with Nautilus. They all went through to the second stage of the FIRST Championship with a record of 5 wins and 5 defeats.

“We must recognize all the work and effort carried out by the 3 teams. Reaching the playoffs represents important progress. Based on that, they should feel very proud of what they’ve achieved,” said Crisantos Martínez, Dean of PrepaTec.

Lambot advanced to the competition’s semifinals with a record of 2 wins and 2 defeats in the playoffs. They finished 43rd in the Newton division, with a record of 7 wins and as many defeats. This is the second time they’ve reached that stage in a championship.

The Botbusters team ended their participation in the semifinal with 1 win and 2 defeats in the playoffs. The Monterrey team came 42nd in the Johnson division, with a record of 6 wins and 7 defeats.

Likewise, the Nautilus team concluded the competition in the same way, with 1 win and 2 defeats in the playoffs, while it ranked 27th in the Curie division with a record of 6 wins and 7 defeats.

The teams reached their division’s semifinals and were only 2 matches away from reaching each final. Eventually, each division’s champion moved on to a new division known as Einstein, where teams are eliminated until they advance to a grand finale that decides the champion.

Francisco Guerra, National Robotics Leader at PrepaTec, highlighted the teams’ participation and said that the lessons learned will help strengthen them.

“All these experiences make us stronger as a team. We had 3 robots in the playoffs and 9 that went to the Championship. There have been many lessons learned by the students who will then pass on this experience to the rest of the teams to work together on improving next year,” highlighted Guerra.

Global Creativity award for Botbusters

PrepaTec’s Eugenio Garza Sada team, Botbusters, was recognized in its division with the Creativity Award.

Botbusters coach Luis Francisco Rosas pointed out that this distinction recognizes creativity with which teams solve different types of problems in design, mechanical, programming, and electrical aspects.

“This is how they let you know which solution they like. In our case, they’re saying that what they liked the most was the whole mechanism that makes the telescopic arm rotate and the telescopic arm’s gearbox,” explained Rosas.

“We feel very satisfied. This is an award for work we’ve been doing for 7 to 8 years, for our progress over these academic cycles. We’re not only being rewarded for the robot’s creativity but also for the creativity used to solve problems in the workshop,” he added.

The coach highlighted how the team has worked, with young people coming in and learning from other expert mentors who have already gone through it and who share their experience to make Botbusters a more capable team.

Rafael Ábrego, National Director of LiFE at PrepaTec, pointed out that this type of experience can be very enriching for students, through spaces that motivate them to develop their creativity.

“We want students to be inspired to want to be people who are going to change or have a positive impact on the world, who can build the solutions that the planet needs with their minds,” said Ábrego.

How the PrepaTec teams participated

In addition to the 3 PrepaTec teams that entered the playoffs, other Mexican teams also competed, negotiated, and collaborated with other teams from around the world, forging international alliances at the 2023 FIRST Championship.

After participating in the first round of the FIRST Robotics Championship, the PrepaTec teams ended up in the following positions:

• Blue Ignition from PrepaTec Saltillo ended the competition ranked 29th in the Curie division with a record of 5 wins and 5 defeats.
• HORUS from PrepaTec Colima finished the competition in 42nd place in the Curie division with a record of 6 matches won and 4 lost.
• VOLTEC from PrepaTec Garza Lagüera was ranked 57th in the Curie division with a record of 5 wins and 5 defeats in the alliances it participated in.
• PrepaTec Santa Anita’s Stingbots finished 65th in the Galileo division with a record of 4 wins and 6 defeats.
• High Altitude Robotics from PrepaTec Toluca came 72nd in the Daly division with a record of 1 win and 8 defeats.
• PrepaTec Esmeralda’s Balam participated in the Daly division, where it was ranked 76th, with a record of 4 matches won and 6 lost.

“For several years, PrepaTec has strongly represented Mexico in the Championship. It’s huge because it speaks of our perseverance in positioning a large number of teams on a national level and being able to come to the Championship,” added the dean.

And the Prepa Tecmilenio teams:

- WinT, a Prepa Tecmilenio Metepec team, participated in the Johnson division just like Botbusters. After ending their participation in the first stage, they ranked 63rd, with a record of 5 matches won and 5 lost.

- Pink Hawks from Prepa Tecmilenio Metepec ended their participation in the first stage of the Championship ranking 73rd in the Newton division, with a record of 2 wins and 8 defeats.

- DEVOLT from Prepa Tecmilenio Chihuahua competed in the Archimedes division. After 10 matches, they finished 66th, with a record of 2 wins, 8 defeats, and 1 draw.

“Mexico is big. We’ve been learning, we’ve been developing, and studying. For example, PrepaTec and Tecmilenio have been teaching FIRST. They’ve already adopted it as a basic training tool,” said Bárbara Gómez, Regional Director of FIRST.

“We have a substantial presence at the FIRST Championship. Watching the Tec teams compete makes us very proud.” - Víctor Gutiérrez, Rector of Operations at the Tec

Other Mexican teams that attended the 2023 FIRST Championship include:

- Cerbotics, Peñoles Torreón

- Type C from Peñoles Torreón.

- Tigres, Monterrey, Nuevo León.

- STEAMex from Santa Catarina, Nuevo León.

- Pb-ers Laguna from Peñoles Torreón.

- Silverbot from Fresnillo PLC, Guanajuato.

- TECUANI from Pesquería, Nuevo León.

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