Competitions

Bucharest Twin Cup 2025 ~ an unforgettable experience!

The first day was a real success—we passed the technical checks with flying colors and showed that our preparation and passion make the team shine. We entered the first matches with confidence, and the energy was at its highest!
Together with our friends from StarLight, we formed a strong alliance that motivated us to aim high and perform together.

Days 2 & 3 brought even more joy: we won the Identity and Cohesion Award, confirming our team spirit and unity, as well as the Software & Sensing Award, a recognition of our work and passion for technology.

We had fun, socialized with other teams, danced, and thoroughly enjoyed the competitive atmosphere.
The Bucharest Twin Cup remains a memorable experience for us, from which we leave with beautiful memories and new friends!

The ByteForce robotics team from the Vasile Alecsandri National College in Galați achieved a remarkable result at the FIRST Tech Challenge European Premier Event (FPEEU) 2025, held in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. After distinguishing itself at the National Championship, ByteForce represented Romania and Galați in one of the most important European robotics competitions, bringing together 95 teams from over 25 countries.

The competition, organized in an intense format with two divisions, tested the technical, strategic, and collaborative skills of the participating teams. ByteForce distinguished itself through its consistent and high-performing presence, advancing in the knockout stages as part of the alliance ranked second, which led to 4th place in the overall European ranking – a position shared with the Robo AS 19082 team from the "Andrei Șaguna" National College.

In addition to its excellent results on the field, the team was awarded the CONTROL AWARD - 1st place for robot programming, a prize that recognizes excellence in robot control software development. This award reflects the high level of professionalism, creativity, and technical skills demonstrated by the members of the ByteForce team.

During the competition, the team also participated in valuable educational activities, including visits to Eindhoven University of Technology and the headquarters of the Rembrandts team - one of the most successful European teams. In addition, participation in a workshop dedicated to technological ethics reinforced a responsible perspective on the development of robotics and artificial intelligence.

The success achieved at FPEEU 2025 once again confirms the standards of excellence of the "Vasile Alecsandri" National College in Galați, one of the most prestigious educational institutions in Romania. With a solid educational tradition and a clear focus on performance and innovation, the college encourages the training of young people by supporting STEM initiatives and actively promoting the values of modern education.

Through its national and international achievements, ByteForce contributes to strengthening the college's reputation and affirming the potential of young people in Galați in the field of science and technology, confirming that perseverance, team spirit, and passion can transform education into an instrument of change and progress.

The ByteForce team's participation in the FIRST Tech Challenge European Premier Event 2025 was made possible thanks to the generous support of local authorities—the Galați County Council and the Galați City Hall—as well as sponsors and partners who believed in the team's potential and vision. This support played an essential role in securing the resources needed to travel and compete at the highest level, reflecting a real investment in education, innovation, and the future of young people in our community.

The team was supported by the Nație Prin Educație Association, a non-profit association founded by Dana Războiu, which promotes and supports STEM education annually for over 5,000 high school students and their mentors. Since 2016, the association has been the organizer of the FIRST Tech Challenge National Robotics Program. The association develops and coordinates all aspects of the project involving teams in Romania, organizing annual regional and national competitions for high school students.

It was an unforgettable competition, with 60 teams, 60 robots, and over 1,000 participants, a real explosion of emotion, determination, and spectacular moments.
🏆 We finished the qualifiers with 5 wins out of 6 matches and became the captains of Alliance 4.
💙 Together with CSH 17861, we fought in the playoffs and became the third best alliance in the competition.
💚 We achieved the 8th highest score worldwide: 472 points (452 NP).

The atmosphere in the arena was incredible, with stands full of energy, support, and enthusiasm. One of the most special moments of the day was winning the MOTIVATE Award, a confirmation of the team's unity, passion, and our role as ambassadors of FIRST values.

✨ Datorită performanțelor atât pe teren, cât și la interviuri, am devenit a treia echipă calificată la Premier Events, fiind recunoscători și extrem de entuziasmați pentru ceea ce urmează.

A doua zi a Naționalei a fost o adevărată aventură, plină de emoții și provocări.
🌟 Am demonstrat juraților viziunea echipei, performanțele robotului și strategia de joc.
🩵 Ne bucurăm de un parcurs excelent, cu 4 victorii din 5 meciuri și o atmosferă fantastică în jurul terenului, susținuți de o galerie puternică.

We had the opportunity to play alongside Gamma, Robocorns, and Delta Force, and between matches we enjoyed moments of relaxation, dancing, and good cheer together with H-Tech and Soft Hoarders. We also captured special moments with numerous teams, sharing the joy and spirit of competition.

Our team returned home with outstanding results from the FTC Regional Championship 2025.
🏆 Ranked 5th out of 49 following the qualifying matches
🏅 Think Award II, for a well-structured portfolio and valuable content
🤖 Five wins out of six games played in qualifying

We experienced intense moments on the third day of the EST Regionals, when we waited with excitement for the announcement of the awards and the publication of the list of the 14 teams that qualified for the national stage. Finishing in 5th place at the end of the qualifiers, our team officially advanced to the National Championship 2025, having the honor of representing the "Vasile Alecsandri" National College and the city of Galați.

The work done since September was recognized with the Think Award Second Place, an award dedicated to teams that excel in documenting the technical and design process, but also in presenting the non-technical evolution of the team. The distinction reflects the quality and depth of our Engineering Portfolio, which details the robot's development, the strategies adopted, and the solutions found to the challenges encountered.

The second League Meet we hosted this season, Meet & Chill, took place on January 11th, 2025, at Siderurgistului Hall, in Galați, alongside teams Seramitae 23486 and Velocity 21087. Focused on creating a relaxed but high-standard event, we combined strong on-field performance with thoughtful branding and logistics.

We prepared thoroughly: from early planning sessions setting the visuals, to carefully assigning roles and coordinating every detail. The event stood out by offering a remarkable experience for all participating teams and by highlighting the spirit of the competition.

At the end of the day, our efforts paid off - we finished the competition in 1st place, a result that reflected both our technical growth and our teamwork.

The Great Union of Robotics is an annual event dedicated to technology and innovation enthusiasts from Romania and the Republic of Moldova. The event brings together robotics teams from the FIRST Tech Challenge community to promote collaboration, knowledge exchange, and the growth of the STEM community through demos, friendly matches, and educational activities.

Over the course of three days, participants have the opportunity to test their robots in a competitive yet supportive environment, attend inspiring talks from professionals across various fields, and take part in workshops, artistic moments, and cultural celebrations that highlight unity and diversity. The event traditionally takes place at the “Dunărea de Jos” University of Galați and is supported by institutional partners such as the National College “Vasile Alecsandri” Galați, the Galați City Hall, and the Galați County Council.

More than just a competition, The Great Union of Robotics is a celebration of the next generation of innovators, a platform for learning, connecting, and fostering meaningful collaborations among young people who share a common passion for science, technology, and progress.

Marea Unire a Roboticii ediția a II-a

Marea Unire a Roboticii ediția a III-a

On December 21st, 2024, we hosted Santa’s Meet in Brăila, together with teams Helix 17860 and HEX 19143 - our first official League Meet of the season. We aimed to set a high standard, both through our robot’s performance and the event’s organization.

The competition helped us analyze our current challenges and led to a major upgrade to Perseus II: switching from an active to a passive intake system. With improved strategy and execution, we secured 3rd place, winning 4 out of 5 matches.

The event embraced the holiday spirit with themed materials (badges, banners, displays), gifts for all teams, and sweet treats offered by the local teams. With support from Brăila City Hall, each team received a festive gift bag.

Already having experience from last year’s Kickathon, we began putting the wheels in motion for the new season a few weeks prior. The event took place on September 7–8, at ICHB Pallady. We both built and programmed the robot's chassis, using GoBilda structures to facilitate the process of adding systems on it during the 16 hours of work.

Also, together with our mentor Mr. Conf. dr. ing. Șolea Răzvan, we established the mechanic and electronic pieces, equipments and filament needed to print everything necessary. Moreover, we split our tasks from the beginning to have a better organisation.

After being warmly welcomed by team Quantum Robotics 14270, we were shown to a room we shared with our sister-team DynaByte 23478. No sooner had we let our luggages in the room, than we started a brainstorming session. To have a functioning robot we then decided to build a simple robot, based around an arm with a claw. After the brainstorming session followed the working time, when we split our tasks in a way in which some members can focus on the robot and others on studying the new Competition Manual.

Happy that after 8 hours the robot was fully finished from a mechanical point of view, we ran off to the playing field to start working on the programming side, for Tele-Op and Autonomous. We were delighted to see that we have a functioning robot which contended against 29 teams and with which we managed to obtain, alongside team Bolts and Gears 17965, the award for Highest Scoring Alliance, with a score of 108 points.

This event not only filled us with joy on receiving the results, but taught us once more how important are good organisation, a clean work space and a continuous motivation to not give up in the face of challenge.

On April 26th, we were surprised and thrilled to find out we had been invited to the Maryland Tech Invitational (MTI) – one of the largest international robotics competitions. We were proud to be among the top 42 teams worldwide and one of only five teams from Romania.

It was our first major international competition outside Romania, and our goal was clear: to win as many matches as we could, to connect with as many teams as possible, share ideas, and build future collaborations.

We immediately began searching for sponsors to help cover the registration and travel expenses. Thanks to many kind responses – especially from the Galați County Council, who covered most of our costs – we were able to attend.

Our technical team worked daily to improve the robot, while our drivers practiced consistently to be fully prepared. We arrived in the U.S. a few days early to adapt to the time zone, and after a quick stop in New York, we headed to Laurel, where the competition is held annually.

Over the three days, we lived one of the most exciting and emotional experiences we’ve ever had. Even though the final day brought us some bad luck, we finished 11th after the 8 qualifying matches. But MTI was never just about rankings — it was about learning, growing, and discovering that we, too, can inspire others.

MTI 2024 didn’t give us exactly what we wanted, but it gave us what we needed. It was just the beginning. We aim to go further, stronger, and continue to inspire.