2025-5-14

In 1989, the US nonprofit organization For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) launched the FIRST robotics competition. Each year, different age groups pit their robots against each other in five different types of events. The FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) is open to competitors aged 12 to 18 years old. The goal of the FTC is to inspire high-school students to take an interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Team 17257—GoBuilder.GC, a group of students from high schools in Yunlin and other parts of central and southern Taiwan, traveled to the United States to take part in the 2025 FTC. The team was trained by George Creative, a partner organization of Taiwan Robot. Among hundreds of top teams from around the world, they won second place in the Design Award section. The group further achieved the highest category of exemplary for getting full marks across the board on their score sheet.

As well as covering themselves in glory, the team also helped shine an international spotlight on Taiwanese youths in the field of science, technology, engineering, coding, and innovation education.