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The Batt Boys student team at Inholland Alkmaar University of Applied Sciences won the Sioux Tech Festival last night. A total of twelve student teams from different European countries took part in the tenth edition of the competition, working for a year on an autonomous robot that can change empty batteries itself.

The Sioux Mechatronic Trophy is an annual event during the Dutch Technology Week. The competition – which took place on the Ketelhuisplein in Eindhoven – allows students to devise and develop a complete project flow from concept to end product.

“Sioux has a deep-rooted passion for engineering and we would like to share it with other professionals and engineering enthusiasts. It is our goal to show that, besides being useful, tech is also really fun,” says Leon Giesen, CEO of Sioux’s European branches. “We do this by enthusing and inspiring the students by means of the Mechatronics Trophy, but also by the interpretation around the competition.

Profit

So this year twelve teams participated in the event, including the Batt Boys, who eventually won the trophy. A team member calls the win “unbelievable”. “That we can compete with other smart students in an innovative setting in the sun is of course very cool.

However, the win didn’t come entirely by itself, says the team. There were some problems at the last minute, so the Batt Boys suddenly had to look for a new battery. “However, there were no problems during the actual match. The robot was able to complete the entire course perfectly and in time.

Sioux Tech Festival

The Sioux Mechatronics Trophy took place during the Sioux Tech Festival, which is part of the Dutch Technology Week. However, the festival at Strijp-S in Eindhoven does not only include the competition, but also other innovative tech projects.

During the festival, for example, it was possible to create an overall profile of the visitor in the Mirror Room, using sensors and computer systems. In addition, visitors could experience the Sioux Holodeck, control a three-metre high robot with an exoskeleton, or escape together from a high tech escaperoom.

This news article was automatically translated from Dutch to give Techzine.eu a head start. All news articles after September 1, 2019 are written in native English and NOT translated. All our background stories are written in native English as well. For more information read our launch article.