Help get the AquaBots crew to America

Cameron, Luke, Theo and Zac are the creators and crew who won the NZ 2015 aquabots competition, and won a chance to compete in the American global competition in Louisiana, and $2,000 towards their trip. This is a good start, but we still need more.

We need $20,000 so we can get the team to America, compete in the competition, and hopefully make New Zealand proud….as well as having a bit of fun over there too. The competition is held in May next year, and we need all the help we can get so we can make it over there. Every little bit helps

Cameron is 16 years old, and has always had a fascination for technology. When he saw the opportunity to compete in the New Zealand aquabot competition alongside his friends, he signed up straight away, as it was an opportunity for him to express his passion in technology. He is leaving school next year, and saw the trip as an amazing opportunity, as well as a possible career field for his future.

Zac Mortimer is a 17 year old student at Marlborough Boys’ college and has always really enjoyed hands on work. He saw the aqua bots competition as a way to further his technological abilities, as well as a bit of fun with a friends. He never imagined that they would get this opportunity, and is really excited for the challenge ahead, both the competition, as well as the fundraising to get them there.

Luke is a 17 year old student at Marlborough Boys’ college who was looking to try something new and to have fun with his mates doing it and when the aquabots competition came up he decided to give it a go with his friends. The aquabots competition really put him outside his comfort zone as he usually is more involved with sports like volleyball and table tennis, so the experience for him was quite challenging but also thrilling at the same time. To have the chance to travel over to America is a once in a lifetime opportunity for him and the team.

Theo is 16 years old and is heavily involved in sports and leadership within the school. He not only plays volleyball, he also coaches many teams, including a Marlborough Girls College team and bohally teams. Theo is also really involved within the school, being involved in the leadership and pastoral since year 9. Theo has just also recently won a Marlborough Youth Civic Award for all of his efforts, and is really looking forward to the competition.

The Aqua Bots competition was held in Nelson, and involved two stages. The first stage was building the kit set. This involved cutting PVC piping, soldering the controller, making the motors waterproof, and designing and assembling the bot.

The team then headed over to Nelson competing against 33 other teams. The competition first involved presenting the Bot to judges. This involved talking about the science behind it, the $20 budget the team had, and possible modifications to the bot. Gadget Magic then completed the obstacle course in 1 minute, 23 seconds, the second fastest of the day, and first in the Senior league. The team then came second in the finesse round, one point behind their fellow Marlborough Boys’ college team, ‘Sea Peaches’. This meant they came first overall, winning an entry into the American competition, and $2,000 to start them off.

The team, named Gadget Magic, will use the money to travel to America to compete in the American national Aquabots competition with the bot they built, hoping to beat the American competition in same 3 categories: Agility, Precision and presentation.