Students from the rice-growing region and their dream of creating robots to help farmers.

Outperforming hundreds of teams from high schools nationwide in the FPTU AI & Robotics Challenge 2025 organized by FPT University, students from Le Hong Phong High School (formerly Phu Yen province, now Dak Lak province) won first place.

A group of students and their instructors from Le Hong Phong High School ( Dak Lak province) with the gold trophy for first prize in the robotics competition - Photo: VAN VINH

Behind this prestigious award lies a journey of overcoming difficulties, creating robots, and the big dreams of students born and raised in the "rice-growing region."

A whole month of hard work assembling and repairing...

The FPTU AI & Robotics Challenge 2025 has the theme "Sustainable Agriculture ". In the Robotics round, the challenge for the teams' robots is to perform practical tasks such as transporting soil and seeds into greenhouses for production and harvesting. Two competing teams work together to form an "alliance" to maintain seed production and harvesting of various agricultural products; supporting agricultural production…

Driven by their passion for innovation, students from Le Hong Phong High School, including Nguyen Khai Huyen (team captain), Luong Hieu Ngan, Le Duy Manh, Ngo Xuan Hai, and Nguyen Ngoc Hoang Xuan Hoa, under the guidance of teacher Vo Thi Huong Trang, created and named their robot "IRONCORTEX".

Outperforming hundreds of outstanding teams from high schools nationwide, IRONCORTEX, along with the LIONKING 1 robot from Xuan Mai High School ( Hanoi ), emerged as the champion.

Luong Hieu Ngan shared that the team members came together and connected through their shared passion for programming and robot building. For over two months, regularly after class, the entire team would go to the teacher's private home to research, disassemble, and continuously test and repair components. There were days when the whole team worked tirelessly, forgetting about breaks and mealtimes…

The IRONCORTEX robot is designed to deliver balls into a 90cm high greenhouse by pulling a rope; the ball tray can be tilted to empty them into the greenhouse. The team uses servo-assisted grippers combined with ultrasonic sensors to pick up and drop produce into the basket, ensuring accuracy. The robot moves using omnidirectional wheels at the front and two motors with wheels for propulsion…

Ngo Xuan Hai added that the team had developed an optimized control program, combining manual control and sensor signal processing to ensure the robot operates stably and flexibly.

With the theme "Sustainable Agriculture", The team from Le Hong Phong High School skillfully used environmentally friendly materials when building their robot. Besides electronic components, IRONCORTEX is largely recycled from PVC pipes, and the winding mechanism uses PVC pipes, resulting in cost savings, lightness, and durability.

"We focused on optimizing both the mechanical and programming aspects, which helped the robot operate stably, process quickly and accurately, thus earning a high score," shared Nguyen Ngoc Hoang Xuan Hoa about the secret to winning the competition.

Wishing for a real robot product.

The IRONCORTEX robot has become the champion of the FPTU AI & Robotics Challenge 2025. However, the students from the "rice-growing countryside" of Tay Hoa commune (formerly Phu Yen province, now Dak Lak province) went through a difficult journey to achieve this result.

Students with their first-prize winning robot project - Photo: VAN VINH

Without a dedicated workshop or laboratory, the students had to figure things out on their own, meticulously refining and adjusting the details to achieve high precision. Many robot components were repurposed from old equipment or ordered remotely, which was both costly and time-consuming. Sometimes, a single minor technical error would require the entire group to seek assistance from teachers and spend days finding a solution.

In the future, students at Le Hong Phong High School hope to develop the IRONCORTEX robot to perform additional tasks in the garden. The robot could automatically charge its battery using solar energy; mow the lawn; measure soil pH and nutrient levels using sensors to water and fertilize plants; and have a mini radar to scan and warn of potential hazards in the garden. Periodically, the robot would take pictures of leaves and plants in the garden and send them to an AI system for analysis of diseases, which would then suggest appropriate treatments…

Nguyen Khai Huyen, captain of the IRONCORTEX robot competition team, expressed the team's desire for businesses to participate and provide support so that they can create a real product, not just a robot for competitions and demonstrations.

Every day, farmers in the countryside toil in their fields from planting to harvesting. The students aspire for this robot to truly become a companion for farmers; helping them save effort, increase productivity, and move towards smart, sustainable agriculture…

Ms. Vo Thi Huong Trang, a teacher at Le Hong Phong High School who accompanied the students throughout their creative journey, commented: "The award at the FPTU AI & Robotics Challenge 2025 is an important stepping stone, affirming the intelligence and capabilities of the students of Le Hong Phong High School."

"Coming from a poor rural area, these students have proven that passion and creativity can take them to new heights. The most valuable thing is not just the championship trophy, but also the fact that they have gained knowledge of technology and learned to empathize with the hardships of farmers..."

"I believe that with the current trend of technological development, the IRONCORTEX robot will become increasingly sophisticated. Before long, this robot will be on the fields, accompanying farmers in the era of smart agriculture," Ms. Trang expressed.

VAN VINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nhung-hoc-sinh-que-lua-va-uoc-muan-sang-tao-robot-giup-nong-dan-2025081110294322.htm