Day 4

Day 4 was one of the most chaotic days of the trip. We started with the mindset that we could at least achieve 5th place. However, upon reaching the competition venue, we faced numerous challenges.

The first problem was that the 9V battery connector cable disconnected from the head. We thought it would be fine since we had spares and could easily replace it. After replacing the cable, we continued letting the Sumo Bot compete, but the problem happened again. The cable broke, again 😭😭😭😭😭. In the end, we decided to use a short cable and connect a power bank instead.

The next challenge with the Firefighting Bot occurred during the actual round. When the robot was supposed to move forward, the motor's cable disconnected from the motor driver. Out of all possible times, it decided to disconnect itself right in the middle of the run. This resulted in us not being able to complete the run

I think that through this competition experience, we learned a lot of new things and will be able to apply this knowledge to future projects. Although we did not win, I'm still glad that we managed to rank 9th in the International Open Sumo category.

Day 5

Days 5 and 6 of my RoboRave China trip were more enjoyable compared to the competition days. On day 5, we first went to a dinosaur museum, which was really disappointing because the original plan was to go to the Great Wall of China. Unfortunately, that was cancelled due to a Yellow Weather Alert. After the museum visit, we had lunch and then headed to the robot mall. The mall featured a really cool giant hand that greeted us at the entrance. Not only was it massive, but it could also move its fingers and wrist. Deeper in the mall, we saw a mini robot that could do pushups and dance. The next exhibit showcased a robot dog that could balance itself and move around without falling.

This was one of the few robots powered on; the others were charging at that time.

Day 5 was not as exciting as I expected, and I hoped day 6 would be better.

Day 6 definitely was.

Day 6

Although day 6 was the day we were flying home, it turned out to be one of the trip's highlights. We visited Apollo Park to try out the self-driving taxi. I was surprised at how comfortable the self-driving taxi was—there were no abrupt stops, and the overall experience exceeded my expectations. The guide at Apollo Park introduced us to the different generations of their taxis, and we even saw a photo of the earlier prototypes.

Apollo Park also had a Baidu "sports mirror"—a mirror with a built-in screen featuring fun games that required physical exercise. I think the trip to Apollo Park was one of the most memorable parts of our journey. The guide also explained how there is a network of systems in China monitoring intersections and sharing information with cars. This lets the cars know where others are, even if they're in the blind spot, greatly reducing accidents. After this visit, we took a plane back to Singapore and arrived home safely.

Overall, I think this trip was a fantastic learning experience, and I hope to go on another one someday.