Tha Tum college team wins through to Robot Contest finals in Tokyo

The team beat 15 other finalists in the “Yutthakran Jan Ron” (frying pan operation) contest held last Sunday at Thammasat University’s Rangsit Campus in Pathum Thani’s Klong Luang district, said Suthep Chitayawong, secretary-general of the Vocational Education Commission. 
In the national-level round, eight vocational teams and eight university team’s manually-controlled robots had to place a frying pan on the top of seven poles in less than three minutes. 
Each pole carried an obstacle on top – a beach ball that had to be removed by the frying pan first. 
Phanom Din Robot scored the best time of 2.04 minutes and scooped the Bt100,000 grand prize and trophy.
It was the seventh straight victory for the vocational institute.
Now the Phanom Din Robot team will represent Thailand at the Japan contest next month, he said.
The first runner-up was Bangkok-based Pathumwan Technology College’s Gold Gear team, which took home a Bt50,000 prize and trophy.
The two second runner-ups – Buri Ram Technical College’s Soh Kround Robot team and Pathumwan Institute of Technology’s Mechartronics Destroyer 2 team – pocketed the Bt30,000 cash prize and a trophy. 
Other awards, each for Bt30,000 cash and a trophy, were presented to the winner of the creative category, Nakhon Sawan Rajabhat University’s IND.Dragon NSRU Robot: Aspiration team; best technique, Nakhon Nayok Technical College’s Khundan Prakanchon 2 team; best art, Nakhon Phanom University’s Naga of Mekong river basin: The Kazuki team; and best innovation, Dhurakij Pundit University’s Children of Klong Prapa Goddess: The Return team. 
Dhurakij Pundit also nabbed a special trophy for best cheering section.
The competition, drawing 180 vocational and university teams from across the country this year, helped promote Thai youths’ interest in engineering and related sciences as well as innovation and technology, said Suthep Chittayawong, Vocational Education Commission Office secretary-general.