Guts and Glory

Hi Folks!
Every year at the International Competition, one team seems to find a special place in my heart. This year it was the Dalhousie Privateers from Canada. These guys spent most of the competition parked in front of the repair table. To begin with, their control box was dismantled by Homeland Security when they came across the border so they had to put that back together. Then they had camera problems. Then a wire got stuck in the seal to their Pelican box which is the box that keeps all those important electronics dry when the bot goes in the water. The box flooded, destroying the on board computer. They worked all day and through the night to re-engineer the electronics so they could put the bot in the water. When they competed on the final day, the laptop computer belonging to one of the students on the team was physically inside the Pelican box that was going underwater. They managed to earn 60 points in their final challenge. It wasn't enough for them to place in the competition but their grace under fire earned them the Explorer class Guts and Glory Award and a permanent place in my heart. They re-named their bot Liquid Death because every time it hit water it died. Clearly their sense of humor remained intact. Here is a bit of video that Lens took on the second day. My hat goes off to you guys and I hope I see you again next year!



Here is a link to more video of this team.