New Jersey Students Win First Place in 2024 International Robotics Competition in the Netherlands

Branchburg, NJ — July 20th, 2024 – High school students from Storming Robots, a leading New Jersey-based robotics learning center, have proudly brought home two world titles from the prestigious AI-oriented RoboCup Junior (RCJ) 2024 competition, held in Eindhoven, Netherlands from July 17 to 20.

The Storming Robots teams exhibited extraordinary skill and creativity throughout the intense four-day AI-oriented event, capturing FIRST and SECOND places in two distinct leagues.

Team New AJE consisting of Etaash Mathamsetty Venkata Jain (10th grade), Andrew Dai (10th grade), and Jiachen Jiang (10th grade), clinched FIRST PLACE in the software algorithms-intensive Robotics Rescue Simulation League. This league tests competitors' abilities in algorithmic development and virtual navigation, showcasing their advanced programming skills and strategic thinking.

The 3 boys : New AJE - 1st PLACE team

An all-girls team, Team JAM Sessions, consisting of Aditi Gopalakrishnan (10th Grade), Julia Chan (9th Grade), and Maya Baireddy (9th Grade), earned SECOND PLACE in the OnStage (STEAM initiative) Robotics League. Their project brilliantly merged technology with the arts by developing a system that interprets American Sign Language (ASL) into music played on a piano through machine learning and robotic mechanisms. Using machine learning, they trained a model to understand hand gestures captured by a camera streaming video to the model. This data was then translated into piano keystrokes using robotic fingers, custom-designed and 3D-printed by the team.

Team JAM Session member Julia Chan expressed, "It was an unforgettable and eye opening experience. So incredible to meet people from all over the world and learn from their creative ideas! "

The 3 girls : JAM Session – Julia Chan current attends Bridgewater Raritan High School.

The Simulation League where Team New AJE placed FIRST is distinguished by its focus on algorithmic development without physical mechanics and electronics constraints. The competition arena features intricate virtual terrains, requiring teams to develop sophisticated algorithms to map and navigate through complex environments. The team explored the Synchronized Location And Mapping (SLAM) Technologies technique to automate the virtual robots to explore confined spaces and navigate perfectly. SLAM has been the subject of technical research in AI studies.

Elizabeth Mabrey, the founder and principal of Storming Robots, and a recipient of the 2019 Presidential Scholars’ Distinguished Teaching Award, remarked, "These young minds have demonstrated exceptional problem-solving capabilities and technical skills, which are well beyond their years.

The RCJ experience has not only honed their technical and collaborative skills but has also inspired them towards future careers in engineering and technology."

RCJ stands out among pre-college robotics competitions; held in conjunction with RoboCup, the event attracts hundreds of research scientists and engineers worldwide. Competing in RCJ allows students to meet researchers and draw inspiration from the world's top robotics professionals' exhibitions and contest entries. With all challenges requiring 100% automation, RCJ is a cornerstone event that fosters innovation among young students by challenging them with real-world problems in robotics and AI.

Storming Robots in Branchburg, New Jersey possesses a history of fostering a generation of analytical and computational thinkers who pursue self-improvement daily.

To learn more about the programs and classes Storming Robots provides for talented students in the 5th-12th grades and how you can get involved, visit their website at www.stormingrobots.com.

To learn more about the RCJ and Storming Robot’s involvement in the competitions, visit https://rcj.stormingrobots.com.

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