RGS Robotics Team Honoured at VEX Worlds 2025

FRESH FROM AN UNFORGETTABLE WEEK IN DALLAS, OUR SENIOR VEX ROBOTICS SQUAD, TEAM ‘ROBO KAI 3’, HAS BROUGHT HOME THE COVETED JUDGES AWARD FROM THE VEX ROBOTICS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2025 – AN ACCOLADE RESERVED FOR TEAMS WHOSE INGENUITY, PERSEVERANCE AND PROFESSIONALISM SET THEM APART ON THE GLOBAL STAGE.

Competing in the Research Division of the High-School strand – one of ten fiercely-contested pools that featured 883 teams – the Year 12 students faced ten qualification matches, navigating tight timetables, cavernous exhibition halls and opposition of the highest calibre.   

While several contests were decided by a single point, the judges were struck by the team’s sophisticated design for this season’s High Stakes game and by the confident way our engineers explained their thinking during two rounds of technical interviews.  

“Walking into a hall that takes ten minutes to cross was mind-blowing,” said Eleanor I. “Once the first match started, we realised we were playing on the biggest stage school robotics can offer – and we loved every second.” 

Matthew G reflected on fine margins: “We lost one game by a single point, so the lesson is clear – a simpler, perfectly-tuned robot beats an unfinished ‘clever’ one every time.” 

For Roshan G, the highlight was the human side of engineering: “Meeting teams from five continents – and a VEX YouTuber we all watch and follow – reminded us that innovation is a global conversation.” 

The award is a fitting reward for Aarav B, Eleanor I, Matthew G, Roshan G, Tanish K, Will G and Zaher M, who have devoted thousands of after-school and weekend hours since September to refining their robot.  

The team were able to make the trip to Dallas thanks to the steadfast guidance and support of Mr Pete Warne (Head of Engineering, Design & Technology) and Dr Steve Bunce (Partnerships for Robotics), as well as the crucial backing of donors including the team's main sponsor TNEI. 

Mr Warne commented: "The sheer scale of VEX Worlds is impossible to grasp until you’re there – the logistics, the pace, even finding somewhere to grab food between matches. Yet the pupils kept going on minimal sleep for three days straight and still found energy to keep developing the robot until the last game. We’re already planning to pair Year 10s and 12s with the older students for next season, so momentum continues even when A Levels loom.” 

Beyond the arena, the trip offered invaluable lessons in project management, teamwork and resilience – from shepherding a robot across airport security to negotiating the ten-minute trek between pit and playing field. The pupils also witnessed the nail-biting Dome finals, soaking up tactics to carry into the newly-released 2025-26 challenge.  

For now, we celebrate a superb achievement: RGS – winners on the world stage.