On Thursday, November 27 , House spirit and innovation came together in the Bottle Mover House Games challenge, a robotics-based competition that brought together the Yellow, Blue, and Red Houses. The event showcased not only teamwork and strategy, but also the creativity and technical skill of the members of the Robotics Club whose student-built robots took center stage, and grade 11 and 12 students who tackled robotics in their past ICT classes.

The challenge was a mixed division challenge House fielding a ten-member team. Where possible, members of the Robotics Club were assigned to their respective Houses, giving each team both House loyalty and technical expertise on their side. Every House was given:

  • Two Vex IQ robots (created by the Robotics Club)

  • One or more Robotics Club members assigned to assist

  • Ten house members

Before the event began, teams were given time to familiarize themselves with their assigned robot and discuss strategy. They were also allowed to make modifications to their robots to better lift and move the water bottles.

The Mechanics of the Bottle Mover Challenge

The objective of the challenge was straightforward but far from easy:

  • Each House had to gather five water bottles from the starting area.

  • Each bottle contained a different quantity of water, making some bottles heavier and more difficult to manage than others.

  • Using only their assigned robots, teams had to move all five bottles to a designated target area by using the claw / crane robot to load the bottle onto the carrier robot and unload the bottle in its assigned destination.

  • Once placed in the target area, all bottles had to be standing upright for the run to be considered complete.

  • The team with the fastest time would be declared the winner.

With these rules in place, success required a combination of good robot control, clever modifications, strategic planning, and calm under pressure.

All three Houses quickly rose to the challenge:

As the rounds went on, it became clear that the competition was quite challenging. Each House successfully completed runs with some bottles and all had difficulty with the heavier ones.

Due to time constraints, the organizers to suspend the event in a three-way tie rather than rush a final tiebreaker was made. To ensure fairness and give students time to rest, recalibrate strategies, and further refine their robot adjustments, the continuation of the Bottle Mover challenge has been postponed to next semester.

Looking Ahead

When the event resumes, the houses will pick up where they left off—with equal standing and everything to play for. Teams now have the opportunity to:

  • Review what worked and what didn’t in their initial runs;

  • Think of better ways to modify and control their robots

  • Strengthen communication between House members and Robotics Club representatives

The Bottle Mover challenge ignited the creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills of our students. Next semester, it promises to return as the robots roll out once more and the three Houses battle to break the tie and claim victory.