Lac Hong University announced this on the evening of 24/8. Sharing third place with Vietnam's representative was the second team from host country Mongolia. This year's competition featured 14 teams from 13 countries and territories.

The LH-UDS team comprised three core members: Quoc Tho, Ky Phuc, and Huy Huu, all students from the Mechatronics - Electronics department of Lac Hong University.

In July, the team surpassed 61 other teams to win first place in the national Robocon competition in Ninh Binh. With this year's theme of "Basketball Warriors," the competition not only required teams to design robots capable of swift and precise movements, but also to program intelligent combat strategies and demonstrate seamless coordination, creating matches as thrilling as real basketball games.

Lac Hong University students win third place at the Asia-Pacific Robocon in Mongolia, 24/8. Photo courtesy of Lac Hong University

Lac Hong University students win third place at the Asia-Pacific Robocon in Mongolia, 24/8. Photo courtesy of Lac Hong University

Fourth-year student Quoc Tho explained that although they began working on the robot in late 2024, the team essentially had to rebuild it from scratch during the preparation phase for the Asia-Pacific Robocon.

"Based on this year's competition theme, we had to re-engineer the mechanics, including cutting and welding, and completely rewrite the programming to create the fastest and most stable robot possible," Tho said.

According to Ky Phuc, a final-year student, the entire LH - UDS team spent months in the university's workshop building, programming, and testing the robot. Even minor errors often required them to start over.

In addition to the three core members, the team received support from nearly 10 other members in various roles.

"Some worked on the mechanics, others on programming, some handled logistics, and others reached out for sponsorships," Huy Huu recounted.

The team recognized that the challenge of creating basketball-playing robots, which allowed teams to "guard" each other, meant that the most crucial aspect was a robust and stable mechanical design, followed by a precise throwing mechanism.

"To get the ball in the basket, our programmer had to experiment with various techniques like direct throws, high-arc shots, and trajectory calculations," Phuc explained.

Lac Hong University students preparing for the Asia-Pacific Robocon. Photo: Phuoc Tuan

Lac Hong University students preparing for the Asia-Pacific Robocon. Photo: Phuoc Tuan

According to Associate Professor - Doctor Nguyen Vu Quynh, Vice President of Lac Hong University, in addition to academics, the university encourages students to participate in academic and creative competitions to gain experience.

"Such competitions provide students with the knowledge and programming skills to independently build robots for practical applications in their lives and future careers," Quynh observed.

Through the Robocon platform, the university's students have developed numerous award-winning scientific and technological products and machines at both the provincial and national levels. Several projects have also led to technology transfers to businesses for practical implementation.

Lac Hong University has been the most successful team since Robocon was first held in Vietnam in 2002. From 2010 to 2014, the university won five consecutive championships, placed second in 2015, and then reclaimed the top spot from 2016 to 2019. Representing Vietnam in the Asia-Pacific arena, the university has won the championship three times, in 2014, 2017, and 2018.

Phuoc Tuan