igus student engineering programme supports team in FIRST Tech Challenge 2025

The Copper Box Arena in London’s Olympic Park transformed into a hive of activity on the 26th and 27th of June as 64 student teams from across the UK competed in the FIRST Tech Challenge UK Championship 2025. Among the participants was the Laurus Ryecroft School, under the team name ‘Ryecroft Robotics,’ supported by igus UK through its YES (Young Engineers Support) campaign, which provided critical components and technical expertise for the team’s robot.

Hailed as “Glastonbury for robots,” the event celebrated creativity, collaboration, and the future of STEM. Students showcased their engineering abilities, strategic thinking, and teamwork in front of industry judges, thinking on their feet to secure their places in the finals.

For Ryecroft Robotics, the journey to the championship was not without its challenges. Early design meetings with Rachel Merry, teacher of design technology and engineering, and her student team revealed significant design challenges, particularly in fitting a motor into the main section of the robot. The team struggled to find a solution that would work within the tight spatial constraints of their design.

After discussions, igus automation engineer Jake Fays was able to provide a practical and innovative solution. By recommending a DC motor with a worm gear and spline configuration, Jake enabled the team to re-configure the motor position, allowing it to fit seamlessly into the limited space available, technical guidance that helped the students move forward with their build.

The support provided by igus is part of its broader commitment to nurturing young talent through the YES campaign. Having worked with several student-led STEM projects in the past, such as Formula Student and UBRacing, igus understands the financial and technical hurdles these teams often face. By providing high-performance plastic-engineered components and hands-on advice, igus can help students achieve their goals, bringing ideas to life.

“Projects like these often face roadblocks as a result of tight budgets,” said Jake Fays. “We’re happy to be able to provide even a small amount of support if that helps students achieve the outcomes they’re aiming for whilst inspiring them to consider careers in this field.”

The Ryecroft team delivered an impressive performance at the championship, showcasing a well-engineered robot and great team spirit throughout. While the competition was intense, the experience left a lasting impact on the attendees, with many commenting that it had sparked a deeper interest for them in STEM and innovation as a future career prospect.

YES campaign organiser, Taylor Macdonald attended with support from events engineer Harry Worts to see the team compete in their qualifying tournaments. “Supporting Laurus Ryecroft through the YES campaign was a fantastic opportunity to empower the next generation and demonstrate the real-world impact of engineering,” said Taylor. “It was a pleasure to be invited and to see how our components contributed to their journey of competing in such an inspiring event.”

Across the two-day period, the Ryecroft robotics team gave a presentation to the panel of judges detailing the build, coding and promotional process of their robot, with an inspection of their design both on and off the pitch. All of the teams were categorised into two divisions and allocated qualifying games to compete in throughout the day. Although Laurus Ryecroft did not win at national level this time, team leader and teacher Rachel Merry said, “Given that it’s our first year in the competition, to even have made it to nationals was a privilege.”

igus continues to support student teams, such as Laurus Ryecroft, through their YES campaign, providing technical advice and sample products to propel teams toward success in competitions and graded projects.

For more information about the YES campaign and how igus UK supports education, visit www.igus.co.uk/yes