Competitions We’ve Run
Beginning in 2017, we have helped run RoboCup Asia Pacific (RCAP), RoboCup Singapore Open, the World Robot Olympiad (WRO), WRO at the National Robotics Competition (NRC), the Global Robotics Games (GRG) at NRC, the FIRST LEGO League (FLL), and other events to great success, pioneering many new concepts which continue to shape Competitive Robotics and Robotics Education in Singapore and abroad.
November 2025
RoboCup Asia Pacific, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
In what I believe is the biggest RCAP Soccer event, I was aided by my co-chairs Eng. Mohammad Al-Shamsi (UAE) and Josh Kao (Taiwan) and a great team of volunteers including the Croatian Dads Club (their kids compete in the other leagues) and graduate students from Khalifa University.
I also became the unofficial event coordinator, working with the different layers of the RCAP Committee to make and execute decisions internally and externally with parties including event management company DXB Live, sponsors, and other stakeholders.
RoboCup Asia Pacific, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
In what I believe is the biggest RCAP Soccer event, I was aided by my co-chairs Eng. Mohammad Al-Shamsi (UAE) and Josh Kao (Taiwan) and a great team of volunteers including the Croatian Dads Club (their kids compete in the other leagues) and graduate students from Khalifa University.
I also became the unofficial event coordinator, working with the different layers of the RCAP Committee to make and execute decisions internally and externally with parties including event management company DXB Live, sponsors, and other stakeholders.
September 2025
World Robot Olympiad Singapore National Finals
Chief Kenneth
2025 is a year of change for WRO as it transitioned the RoboMission category to an open platform competition (previously LEGO). I was brought in to provide technical expertise on the matter, standardising interpretations and flagging up high probability infringements pre-event. Over the event days, I performed inspections and chat with teams to set expectations, alongside other Chief Kenneth duties.
I also ended up providing other support including the handling of public relations and venue layout and turnover.
World Robot Olympiad Singapore National Finals
Chief Kenneth
2025 is a year of change for WRO as it transitioned the RoboMission category to an open platform competition (previously LEGO). I was brought in to provide technical expertise on the matter, standardising interpretations and flagging up high probability infringements pre-event. Over the event days, I performed inspections and chat with teams to set expectations, alongside other Chief Kenneth duties.
I also ended up providing other support including the handling of public relations and venue layout and turnover.
April 2025
RoboCup Singapore Open
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
This event attracted teams from across the region including South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, and Macau. With my co-chair Huang Zefan and volunteers from Singapore Polytechnic, the event proceeded smoothly.
I also managed to recruit some ex-students to join us as photographers and was myself the photographer for the inaugural Humanoid Workshop.
RoboCup Singapore Open
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
This event attracted teams from across the region including South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, and Macau. With my co-chair Huang Zefan and volunteers from Singapore Polytechnic, the event proceeded smoothly.
I also managed to recruit some ex-students to join us as photographers and was myself the photographer for the inaugural Humanoid Workshop.
October 2024
RoboCup Asia Pacific, Qing Dao, China
Chair, RoboCup Junior Rescue
RCAP 2024 was held at the China Movie Metropolis in Qing Dao. With space limitations, a decision was made to forgo the RCJ Soccer League. With League Chair Shen Chen unavailable, I was brought in to chair the league for the first time alongside local co-chair 孙老师.
RoboCup Asia Pacific, Qing Dao, China
Chair, RoboCup Junior Rescue
RCAP 2024 was held at the China Movie Metropolis in Qing Dao. With space limitations, a decision was made to forgo the RCJ Soccer League. With League Chair Shen Chen unavailable, I was brought in to chair the league for the first time alongside local co-chair 孙老师.
April 2024
RoboCup Singapore Open
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
A routine year for us at Soccer, but with 3 of my ex-students helping Shen Chen out with RCJ Rescue Line.
RoboCup Singapore Open
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
A routine year for us at Soccer, but with 3 of my ex-students helping Shen Chen out with RCJ Rescue Line.
December 2023
RoboCup Asia Pacific, Pyeong Chang, South Korea
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
Our first physical event post-COVID. It was a memorable year indeed where we had to build much of the competition setup on our own on-site, including painting the fields!
RoboCup Asia Pacific, Pyeong Chang, South Korea
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
Our first physical event post-COVID. It was a memorable year indeed where we had to build much of the competition setup on our own on-site, including painting the fields!
September 2023
World Robot Olympiad Singapore
Consultant
WRO 2023 was a pivotal moment, with Space Faculty taking over as the National Organisers from Science Centre Singapore. I was given the trust of CEO Lynette to build the event from a blank slate.
In the previous format under the National Robotics Competition (NRC), there was a heavy emphasis on Presentations. While well intentioned, judging expertise was hard to come by and score normalisation was problematic, giving the wrong signals and incentives to competitors.
To remedy this, I dreamt up Side Quests – a series of monthly challenges to guide students in their preparation. These not only provided a scaffold towards the mission but also linked free online resources in an attempt to level the playing field. These challenges focused on balancing efficiency and reliability, which is underemphasized in a best-of format for scoring runs.
Side Quests also presented Space Faculty with a channel to engage directly with students by leveraging Social Media. Submissions were made on Instagram, creating a culture of sharing amongst teams and acting as a portfolio showing their growth over the season, and for some, multiple seasons.
Between Side Quests (which showed a high correlation with eventual competition rankings) and every other aspect of the competition including setting the Surprise Missions, the Team Singapore that was selected put in the best showing ever with an average ranking of 22nd (2025 42nd, 2024 31st, 2022 31st, 2019 39th, 2018 54th, 2017 25th, 2016 ~38th, 2015 29th).
World Robot Olympiad Singapore
Consultant
WRO 2023 was a pivotal moment, with Space Faculty taking over as the National Organisers from Science Centre Singapore. I was given the trust of CEO Lynette to build the event from a blank slate.
In the previous format under the National Robotics Competition (NRC), there was a heavy emphasis on Presentations. While well intentioned, judging expertise was hard to come by and score normalisation was problematic, giving the wrong signals and incentives to competitors.
To remedy this, I dreamt up Side Quests – a series of monthly challenges to guide students in their preparation. These not only provided a scaffold towards the mission but also linked free online resources in an attempt to level the playing field. These challenges focused on balancing efficiency and reliability, which is underemphasized in a best-of format for scoring runs.
Side Quests also presented Space Faculty with a channel to engage directly with students by leveraging Social Media. Submissions were made on Instagram, creating a culture of sharing amongst teams and acting as a portfolio showing their growth over the season, and for some, multiple seasons.
Between Side Quests (which showed a high correlation with eventual competition rankings) and every other aspect of the competition including setting the Surprise Missions, the Team Singapore that was selected put in the best showing ever with an average ranking of 22nd (2025 42nd, 2024 31st, 2022 31st, 2019 39th, 2018 54th, 2017 25th, 2016 ~38th, 2015 29th).
September 2023
National Robotics Competition
Global Robotics Games Mobile Robotics II/III Game Designer
With WRO no longer part of NRC, the Global Robotics Games (GRG) was created by Developing Innovative Youth (DIY) to take its place.
I was approached by President Hozefa to come up with the games based on a framework they designed and agreed only to work on the MRII/III Category due to time constraints.
While the final implementation was not what I envisioned, a few key elements were retained:
1. An increased focus on mechanisms, with teams allowed to build and place mechanisms for their robots to manipulate
2. A more extensive role for humans during the game, with team members allowed to manipulate game elements in certain zones
3. A structured exploration of angles, allowing more math concepts including geometry and trigonometry to be brought in
Elements 1 and 2 would eventually be adapted by the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) as announced in 2026.
National Robotics Competition
Global Robotics Games Mobile Robotics II/III Game Designer
With WRO no longer part of NRC, the Global Robotics Games (GRG) was created by Developing Innovative Youth (DIY) to take its place.
I was approached by President Hozefa to come up with the games based on a framework they designed and agreed only to work on the MRII/III Category due to time constraints.
While the final implementation was not what I envisioned, a few key elements were retained:
1. An increased focus on mechanisms, with teams allowed to build and place mechanisms for their robots to manipulate
2. A more extensive role for humans during the game, with team members allowed to manipulate game elements in certain zones
3. A structured exploration of angles, allowing more math concepts including geometry and trigonometry to be brought in
Elements 1 and 2 would eventually be adapted by the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) as announced in 2026.
April 2023
RoboCup Singapore Open
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
Our first year back to the full event scale post-COVID brought out some excitement as we witnessed a LiPo fire while charging! My co-chair, Ze Fan, and I sprung into action, keeping the situation under control, making sure no one was hurt, and as much property was saved as possible.
RoboCup Singapore Open
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
Our first year back to the full event scale post-COVID brought out some excitement as we witnessed a LiPo fire while charging! My co-chair, Ze Fan, and I sprung into action, keeping the situation under control, making sure no one was hurt, and as much property was saved as possible.
December 2022
CodeFest by Roboto Coding Academy
Judge, Game Development (Scratch)
CodeFest by Roboto Coding Academy
Judge, Game Development (Scratch)
November 2022
RoboCup Asia Pacific, Online
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
Our final online event scored with Technical Challengees and presentations.
RoboCup Asia Pacific, Online
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
Our final online event scored with Technical Challengees and presentations.
April – May 2022
RoboCup Singapore Open (Hybrid)
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
Our first in-person finals post-COVID with safe distancing measures still in place. The competition was held with an online round including Technical Challenges and presentations to determine qualifiers and their seeding for the physical finals.
RoboCup Singapore Open (Hybrid)
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
Our first in-person finals post-COVID with safe distancing measures still in place. The competition was held with an online round including Technical Challenges and presentations to determine qualifiers and their seeding for the physical finals.
November 2021
RoboCup Asia Pacific, Aichi, Japan (Hybrid)
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
In the second year of the pandemic, I wanted to lean into the online format to do something that we would not otherwise have the opportunity to do. For the SuperTeam event, I came up a challenge which required teams to relay field states over the internet and respond to it. 2 SuperTeams were able to complete this successfully in what is likely a world first.
RoboCup Asia Pacific, Aichi, Japan (Hybrid)
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
In the second year of the pandemic, I wanted to lean into the online format to do something that we would not otherwise have the opportunity to do. For the SuperTeam event, I came up a challenge which required teams to relay field states over the internet and respond to it. 2 SuperTeams were able to complete this successfully in what is likely a world first.
September 2021
National Robotics Competition, WRO Regular (Online)
Referee
NRC was held with a hybrid approach this year. Teams were to find a space for themselves that could be monitored over Zoom. They would solve the surprise mission synchronously, submitting their solutions over video. I scored every submission, providing redundancy for the scoring done by the rest of the team.
National Robotics Competition, WRO Regular (Online)
Referee
NRC was held with a hybrid approach this year. Teams were to find a space for themselves that could be monitored over Zoom. They would solve the surprise mission synchronously, submitting their solutions over video. I scored every submission, providing redundancy for the scoring done by the rest of the team.
June – July 2021
RoboCup Singapore Open (Online)
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
After skipping a year in 2020 due to COVID, we organised the first Virtual RoboCup Singapore Open, giving teams a chance to showcase what they have developed over the last 2 years. Outside the basic tasks, we included a show-off segment where teams could impress us with anything they had done.
RoboCup Singapore Open (Online)
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
After skipping a year in 2020 due to COVID, we organised the first Virtual RoboCup Singapore Open, giving teams a chance to showcase what they have developed over the last 2 years. Outside the basic tasks, we included a show-off segment where teams could impress us with anything they had done.
November 2020
WRO 2020-X (Online)
Judge, Surprise Category
With WRO 2020 cancelled, a Surprise Category was added to the online edition utilising common household items as part of the mission. I was on the judging panel, scoring and maintaining a document to ensure that everyone was scoring consistently in this very variable format.
WRO 2020-X (Online)
Judge, Surprise Category
With WRO 2020 cancelled, a Surprise Category was added to the online edition utilising common household items as part of the mission. I was on the judging panel, scoring and maintaining a document to ensure that everyone was scoring consistently in this very variable format.
October 2020
Virtual RoboCup Asia Pacific (Online)
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
Virtual RoboCup Asia Pacific (Online)
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
September 2019
National Robotics Competition, WRO Regular
Co-Assistant Chief Referee (WRO Category) and Judging panellist
National Robotics Competition, WRO Regular
Co-Assistant Chief Referee (WRO Category) and Judging panellist
April 2019
RoboCup Singapore Open
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
RoboCup Singapore Open
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
February 2019
FIRST LEGO League Singapore
Co-Chief Referee (Robot Game), Judging panellist
FIRST LEGO League Singapore
Co-Chief Referee (Robot Game), Judging panellist
June 2018
RoboCup International, Montreal, Canada
Robocup Junior CoSpace Referee, Member of Organising Committee (Robocamp)
RoboCup International, Montreal, Canada
Robocup Junior CoSpace Referee, Member of Organising Committee (Robocamp)
April 2018
RoboCup Singapore Open
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
RoboCup Singapore Open
Chair, RoboCup Junior Soccer
February 2018
FIRST LEGO League Singapore
Co-Chief Referee (Robot Game)
FIRST LEGO League Singapore
Co-Chief Referee (Robot Game)
December 2017
RoboCup Asia Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand
Organising Committee, RoboCup Junior Soccer
RoboCup Asia Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand
Organising Committee, RoboCup Junior Soccer
September 2017
National Robotics Competition
Chief Referee (WRO), Developed inaugural Robot Arm Challenge
National Robotics Competition
Chief Referee (WRO), Developed inaugural Robot Arm Challenge
June 2017
Asia Pacific Youth Robotics Competition
Co-organiser, Developed and ran inaugural Arduino Challenge
Asia Pacific Youth Robotics Competition
Co-organiser, Developed and ran inaugural Arduino Challenge
