In Bangkok, the “¡Huélum!” Echoes at International Robotics Competition

Reporter: Adda Avendaño / Photos: Courtesy of Maker Robotics

UPIITA’s Robotics Association stood out internationally after winning first place in the 3-Pound Combat category with the robot Orión.

Innovation, talent, and Mexican engineering resonated throughout the arena at the Zee Rangsit shopping complex in Bangkok, Thailand, when students from the Robotics Association of the Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria en Ingeniería y Tecnologías Avanzadas (UPIITA) of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN) achieved an outstanding performance at the Maker Robotics Challenge, one of Asia’s most important international robotics competitions.

The tournament, which brings together students and developers from around the world to promote STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), as well as robot design, construction, and programming across multiple categories, awarded a delegation of undergraduate and graduate students from UPIITA with two gold medals, one silver medal, and a fourth-place finish.

During this year’s edition, held from May 22 to 24, the Association of Robotics (AR)-UPIITA delegation proudly represented both the Polytechnic and Mexico by winning first place in the 3-Pound Combat category with the robot Orión, developed by Mihael Shamed Islas Ortiz and Alfredo Méndez Ríos.

In the Micro Sumo category, the team achieved a remarkable one-two finish, earning the gold medal with the robot Lil’ Wallas, created by Manuel Silva Pérez and David Alejandro Becerra Paredes, while the silver medal went to Fokito, built by Diego Rosas Nuño and Guillermo Jair Llanos Miranda, further demonstrating the competitive strength of the Polytechnic team.

The robot Juanito, designed by Diego Rosas Nuño, also delivered a notable performance in the Mini Sumo category by securing fourth place among competitors from Japan, Malaysia, China, Singapore, South Korea, Poland, and Saudi Arabia, among other countries.

Among the competition’s most demanding events were robotic combat and sumo challenges, where participants designed high-powered robots capable of defeating opponents by pushing them out of the combat area through strength, precision, and speed.

The results of the competition — which featured 1,223 teams, 1,167 competitors, and more than 160 educational institutions from all academic levels — reflect the skill, preparation, and creativity of UPIITA students, who continue positioning the Polytechnic as an international leader in scientific and engineering innovation through robotics and technological development.

With this achievement, the traditional Polytechnic rallying cry, “¡Huélum!”, echoed through Bangkok, proving that Polytechnic talent can compete among the world’s best and transcend borders.