Toyota Technology Challenge 2011–12
Congratulations to Theo Heymann, David Shah and Nicolas Weninger on being highly commended in the 2011–12 Toyota Technology Challenge, an annual competition run by Toyota and Rapid.
Building a buggy capable of navigating obstacles as quickly as possible, using a micro-controller, was a challenge our three-man team, PIC.hacks, relished, and their strong project folder took them to the regional finals at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford.
There, the buggy didn’t perform spectacularly on the course, David recoding an emergency algorithm in 30 minutes, but the judges were impressed by its build quality, the standard of the team’s presentation and the depth of their knowledge. They were through to the Nationals in Derbyshire, at Toyota’s main UK manufacturing facility. The presentation to the judges again went well, but interference from magnetic fields meant the buggy’s digital compass didn’t function properly. The team were highly commended for their presentation, a reward in itself for three months of hard work.
