FLCC wins engineering competition – 5th time in row

The contest has real-world applications for situations that are too dangerous for humans.

FLCC’s team earned first place for the fifth consecutive time at the annual Mini-UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle) Design Competition on May 1 at the Victor Campus Center.

FLCC competed against teams from Broome and Hudson Valley community colleges. Approximately 25 people attended, including the president and vice president of the New York State Two-Year Engineering Science Association.

Teams of freshman and sophomore students designed, built, and programed a UGV capable of navigating a defined course while performing an object collection and delivery task. The project reflects real-world applications such as guided navigation and material transport in environments where human operation may be inefficient or hazardous.

Each robot was required to follow a continuous black line on a white surface while navigating multiple turns. Along the course, eight white balls mounted on vertical stands had to be detected, collected, and securely stored. At the end of the course, the robot was required to deposit all collected objects into a designated bin.

Teams were evaluated based on their poster presentation and mission performance. FLCC’s team led the competition in both categories, earning the top score in the poster presentation and outperforming all teams in the mission trial. The team completed the full course at a record time of under 20 seconds.

Team members included Jackson Pembroke of Farmington, Thomas Ouimette of Canandaigua, Gabriella Telesca of Dansville, and Austin Owren of Canandaigua.

Joshua Bell, technical specialist for the engineering science program, coached the FLCC team and designed the competition track. This competition continues to highlight the strength of the College's hands-on engineering and technology programs.