Contributed by Ideaventions Academy
The Ideaventions Academy robotics team, Daedalus, began its journey to defend its National Championship title with an impressive performance at the AVR qualifying competitions on Nov. 9 and 10 in Arlington, Texas. The team secured 1st Place Overall and earned recognition for Best Presentation, demonstrating innovative engineering and teamwork.
Building on this success, Daedalus advanced to the National Championship on Dec. 7 in Dallas. There, they showcased exceptional skills and creativity, earning national leadership honors in engineering solutions and teamwork for the second consecutive year, solidifying their status as back-to-back champions.
This year’s AVR challenge tasked teams with designing and building large drones equipped with thermal and visual sensors to simulate disaster relief operations following a Category 5 hurricane in Florida. The competition also required teams to program a second drone and a ground vehicle for autonomous navigation; operate small, manually controlled robots for additional tasks, and present engineering notebooks and strategic designs to industry experts.
Daedalus excelled by integrating advanced skills such as robot operating systems design, 3D printing, and laser cutting. This marked their third year in the competition, having placed second nationally in their debut year and winning the national title for the past two.
"I'm very proud of the team and all the hard work they've done this season. Winning in Texas was a testament to their dedication," said Shivam, a senior and Daedalus team co-lead with Ari Stehney.
Coach and Ideaventions Academy Co-Founder Ryan Heitz praised the AVR competition for its complexity and real-world relevance. “Coordinating multiple drones and ground vehicles in a disaster scenario presents unique challenges and offers hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology,” he said.
For more information, visit www.ideaventionsacademy.org.
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