Pinoy 'botcha' robot bags Lego prize

Manila, Philippines -  A team of Filipino high school students that developed an “anti-botcha” robot bagged third place in the robotics competition recently held in Missouri.

The Philippine team is composed of Gladys Leigh Malana, Tricia Carmela Santos, Ramikert del Prado, Michelle Arcanar, Kate dela Cruz, Lady Alein Goleng, Jules Martin Agsaoay, Jonathan Alejandro, Dave Adrian Bien, and Tim Jhalmar Fabillon from Dr. Yanga’s College, Inc. (DYCI) in Bulacan.

Despite being rookies in the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Lego League World Festival, the Philippine team bested 76 other teams with their anti-botcha (anti-double dead meat) robot to win the 3rd Best Project Presentation last month.

According to the Science Education Institute (SEI), the team’s Meat’s Anti-Germs and Infection Solution Version 2 (MAGIS Version 2) invention beat more than 70 teams from various countries, 40 of them from the US.

“MAGIS Version 2 is a robot they created using Lego NXT controllers, which can detect contaminated meat,” the SEI, an attached agency of the Department of Science and Technology, said.

MAGIS Version 2 is made of stainless steel, aluminum and acrylic plastic equipped with color and temperature sensors to detect contaminated meat. Meat that records a higher temperature value than expected and has a deviating color is tagged as unsafe for human consumption.

The team hopes that the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) will adopt their invention in inspecting double-dead meat.

SEI director Filma Brawner lauded the Filipino students.

“We congratulate our Philippine robotics team for again bringing honor in the bigger stage and we hope that this victory will inspire more young students to develop their skills in robotics and hopefully start a trend in making it big in the FLL in the coming years,” Brawner said.

“We will continue to support endeavors that will develop a pool of local robotics experts who will soon lead the country in providing solutions to S&T-related problems,” she said.