Romania, gold and silver at the World Robotics Championship in Houston

The Romanian delegation to the FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics World Championship in Houston included four teams qualified for the BRD FIRST Tech Challenge National Championship, coming from Câmpulung, Focșani, Galați and Ploiesti. In addition to these teams, the four finalists of the Dean’s List award also participated in Houston: Daria Ștefania Istrate from Ploiesti, Rareș Tudor Palasan from Bucharest, Andra-Gabriela Cîrstoiu from Târgu-Jiu and Eva Pacea from Brăila.

The performances of the four teams were outstanding this year. From 2022 until now, the Romanian FTC robotics teams have achieved better and more visible results. In 2022, the Delta Force team from Arad won the World Championship in Houston, being the first team from outside North America to do so, and everything culminated with this year’s extraordinary performance in which, for the title of World Champion, the final of was a confrontation between Romania and…Romania!

Thus, the AICitizens Team (photo above) from the “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” National College (Focșani) won the title of WORLD CHAMPION, together with 2 other teams chosen from California and South Africa. Team Ro2D2 (photo below) from “Mihai Viteazul” National College (Ploiesti), Alliance Captain, chose his partners from Australia and Canada, with whom they became world vice-champions. At the same time, AICitizens received 1st Place at the Design Award and the Ro2D2 team also received 1st Place at the CONTROL Award.

“This robotics competition was invented in the United States 35 years ago. We have been doing robotics in high schools in Romania for 8 years, we Nation through Education. Do you realize what children we have in this country if after 8 years we ended up playing Romania against Romania in the world final in Houston? I am so proud of them!” says Dana Războiu, founder of the association Nation Through Education.

“The Romanian high school students showed us again this year what it means to be an ambassador of your country through their dedication, passion, intelligence and fair play. They are living proof that we can always do higher and better if we join forces and that constant investment in education changes paradigms. What 8 years ago we only dared to dream has become a reality. Young people like those in the robotics competition are a vector for change and we are optimistic about the future through their eyes.” said Flavia Popa, Secretary General of BRD Groupe Société Générale.

FIRST Tech Challenge Romania is the largest robotics competition dedicated to high schools in Romania. It is organized by the association Nation through Education, in partnership with BRD and is affiliated to the international organization FIRST. Robotics is one of the most important fields of the future for Romania, to which attention has been directed more and more, especially in recent years.