South African youth robotics team takes world title

October 2024 News & Events, Training & Education

Texpand, a South African youth robotics team, recently made history by winning the 2024 FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) World Championships. The team’s success was assisted, in part, by high-tech polymer components donated by igus.

According to team Director and mentor, Greg Buckle, the victory not only highlighted the potential of South Africa's youth in the global robotics arena, but also showcased how the collaboration between industry and education can lead to extraordinary results.

He explains the FIRST Tech Challenge is a prestigious international robotics competition designed to ignite a passion for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) among high school students. Teams of young school-going ‘engineers’ are tasked with building and programming robots to perform specific tasks in competitive matches designed to mimic real-world engineering challenges. Each season, teams face a brand-new robotics game and are given about four months to design, build and refine a robot to outscore their opponents. The 2024 FTC World Championships had over 200 teams from across the globe vying for the title.

Texpand, a community team based in Cape Town, consists of students aged 12 to 17 from diverse backgrounds. Their passion for STEM, coupled with their mission to make robotics accessible to students across South Africa, has driven them to success on both national and international stages.

“A turning point for our 2024 season came when igus donated various polymer components to us through their Young Engineer Support programme, including Drylin linear guides, telescopic rail slides and energy chains. We soon found out why these are renowned for their performance, durability, and lightweight design, enabling us to build our innovative robotic arm with seven degrees of freedom – a feature that was instrumental in sealing our victory,” says Buckle.

Texpand’s win demonstrated their engineering prowess and earned them the coveted first place Control Award. This award recognises innovative thinking in solving game challenges through autonomous operation, intelligent control and the integration of sensors. Their robot's exceptional control system, driven by igus' advanced mechanical solutions, was a defining feature that helped them dominate the competition.

“Following our victory, we have launched our IGNITE programme, an international initiative to expand robotics education in South Africa. Through this programme, we hope to secure more resources and sponsorship to start new teams and provide opportunities for young students nationwide to participate in FTC,” Buckle added.




Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page



Further reading:

Highest increase in global cyberattacks in two years
Information Security News & Events
Check Point Global Research released new data on Q2 2024 cyber-attack trends, noting a 30% global increase in Q2 2024, with Africa experiencing the highest average weekly per organisation.

Read more...
Value and industry insight
Securex South Africa Training & Education News & Events
Securex South Africa 2025, co-located with A-OSH EXPO, Facilities Management Expo, and Firexpo, drew thousands of security professionals from across the continent and beyond, offering a platform for networking, product discovery, and knowledge sharing.

Read more...
Gallagher Security achieves ISO 27001 recertification
News & Events Training & Education
Gallagher Security has successfully achieved certification to the updated ISO/IEC 27001:2022 standard for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS). This accomplishment builds on previous certifications and reflects a continued commitment to the highest standards of information security.

Read more...
Survey highlights cost of cyberdamage to industrial companies
Kaspersky Information Security News & Events
The majority of industrial organisations estimate their financial losses caused by cyberattacks to be over $1 million, while almost one in four report losses exceeding $5 million, and for some, it surpasses $10 million.

Read more...
Digital economy needs an agile approach to cybersecurity
Information Security News & Events
South Africa is the most targeted country in Africa when it comes to infostealer and ransomware attacks. Being at the forefront of the continent’s digital transformation puts South Africa in the crosshairs for sophisticated cyberattacks

Read more...
SIEM rule threat coverage validation
Information Security News & Events
New AI-detection engineering assistant from Cymulate automates SIEM rule validation for SecOps and blue teams by streamlining threat detection engineering with automated testing, control integrations and enhanced detections.

Read more...
A new generational framework
Editor's Choice Training & Education
Beyond Generation X, and Millennials, Dr Chris Blair discusses the seven decades of technological evolution and the generations they defined, from the 1960’s Mainframe Cohort, to the 2020’s AI Navigators.

Read more...
From the editor's desk: Showtime for Securex
Technews Publishing News & Events
We have once again reached the time of year when the security industry focuses on Securex. This issue includes a short preview, with more coming online and via our special Securex Preview news briefs. ...

Read more...
Chubbsafes celebrates 190 years
Gunnebo Safe Storage Africa News & Events Security Services & Risk Management
Chubbsafes marks its 190th anniversary in 2025 and as a highlight of the anniversary celebrations it is launching the Chubbsafes 1835, a limited edition 190th-anniversary collector’s safe.

Read more...
Suprema unveils BioStar Air
Suprema neaMetrics News & Events Access Control & Identity Management Infrastructure
Suprema launches BioStar Air, the first cloud-based access control platform designed to natively support biometric authentication and feature true zero-on-premise architecture. BioStar Air simplifies deployment and scales effortlessly to secure SMBs, multi-branch companies, and mixed-use buildings.

Read more...