Sask. robotics team looking for sponsorship to join international competition

A small Saskatchewan robotics team is hoping to represent Canada on the world stage, and they’re looking for help to get there.

Danish Hasan, Karim Ait-Allaoua and Herman Muller are the trio that make up the UofRobotics team, which has been on its own since the three left Regina’s Campbell Collegiate last year.

“We had to build from scratch; we didn’t have any support,” Hasan, who is the team trainer, said. “We had to ask the University of Regina, and they said they would be willing to help us.”

With a new bot under their belt, the trio is actually gearing up for one of its biggest competitions yet, fine-tuning their robot for the World Skills qualifiers in Halifax at the end of May.

Based on that performance, the team could go on to compete in the international World Skills competition in Kazan, Russia, near the end of August. It’s a huge feat for a small Saskatchewan team that got its start in high school.

“We never had the nice parts. We had scrap wood, scrap metal — whatever we could really find,” Hasan said.

Despite competing against teams that are better prepared and have more funding, the team went on to win provincials and nationals in 2018, gaining more funding along the way and investing in electromagnets that would eventually help them win.

“It was an emotional moment for us and it was a moment, like, we did it,” Hasan said.

Through their achievements, the trio grew the robotics program at their high school. Now, the three students have their sights set on once again coming out on top.

With qualifiers around the corner, they’re working hard and fine-tuning their skills.

“Even though it’s the exact same court than what we have here, it’s different in terms of the lighting, where things are placed, and you have to be able to adapt to that,” Ait-Allaoua said. “That can be one of the biggest challenges.”

Going in, the trio plans to use the same strategy that got them to where they are in the first place.

“Everything that we do, we see what level complexity we can take out and still accomplish the same thing. Because the more components there are, the more things that can go wrong,” Muller said.

To help out with costs, the team is looking for sponsors in order to continue proving that even the smallest engine can reach great heights.

For sponsorship opportunities, the team can be reached at DanishHasan600@gmail.com.