Mumbai’s high school robotics team, Sigma 9692, has won the Engineering Inspiration Award at the FIRST Robotics Midwestern Regional in Chicago,
Only in their second year, the 27-member team built a high-performing robot and also introduced robotics to 3,000+ underserved students
FinTech BizNews Service
Mumbai, April 4, 2025: In an exceptional achievement, Mumbai-based high school robotics team Sigma
9692 has won the prestigious Engineering Inspiration Award at the FIRST Robotics
Midwestern Regional Championship held in Chicago, USA. With this remarkable
victory, Team Sigma has qualified to represent India at the FIRST World
Championship in Houston from April 16–19, 2025.
Remarkably, this is only Team Sigma’s second year participating, a feat rarely
accomplished by veteran teams globally. The team comprises 27 dedicated
students, including 25 from 13 different schools in Mumbai, and two students
working remotely from Indore and Delhi.
This year’s robotics challenge, “Reefscape,” tasked students with designing robots to
place coral pieces at heights reaching 7 feet. Team Sigma’s robot, affectionately
named “Spongebot,” excelled by ranking first in coral placement at the highest level
and third in autonomous coding consistency. The robot features an innovative four-
wheel swerve drive system, achieving speeds of 7 meters/second, and boasts an
elevator mechanism that reaches 8 feet in just 0.5 seconds.
Beyond competition, Team Sigma has made a significant social impact, introducing
robotics and coding to over 3,000 underserved students across Mumbai in two
years. The team successfully raised ₹20 lakh from Indian corporates, setting up
robotics labs in 10 underserved schools. Their outreach gained recognition from
Maharashtra’s Skill Development Ministry, leading them to conduct a webinar on
coding for 50,000 ITI students state-wide. Impressed by their initiative,
Maharashtra’s Chief Minister personally congratulated the team.
Their impactful efforts have attracted sponsorship from Adipro, a Hong Kong-based
chemical MNC. Team Sigma is mentored by RFL Academy and their talented
coaches - Mr. Virendra, Mr. Atul and Mr. Sunil, led by RFL’s cofounder and CEO,
Ashwin Shah, who recently received the esteemed Woodie Flowers Finalist Award in
the US for outstanding mentorship in robotics education.
“We’re immensely proud of this achievement. It shows Indian students can lead
globally in robotics,” said Ashwin Shah. Team vice-captain Arav Arzare added,
“Winning this award motivates us further to spread robotics education to every
corner of India.”
Team Sigma now prepares to compete against top international teams at the FIRST
World Championship in Houston, representing India on a global stage and inspiring
the next generation of young innovators.
