Robotics club set for world stage

In competitive robotics, progress is measured in millimetres and milliseconds. A mechanism that jams, a misread rule, or a moment of hesitation can undo months of work.

For the Auckland University Robotics Association, or AURA, this year’s national season tested all of that.

AURA is a student-led, multidisciplinary club of more than 60 members focused on VEX Robotics education, outreach and competition. Students from engineering, science and computer science work side by side, running workshops, mentoring secondary school teams and designing competition-ready robots.

“We run educational workshops with VEX IQ kits, which allows students with no prior experience a fair or equal opportunity to learn about robotics,” says Daisy Chen, a second year Mechatronics Engineering student and Co-President of AURA. “VEX fosters hands-on learning through creativity, critical thinking, and teamwork.”

This year’s VEX game, Push Back, requires teams to design up to two complementary robots to park, collect and score blocks across four goals. Every season brings a new ruleset, forcing teams to redesign, rebuild and reprogramme from scratch.

The pressure peaked days before nationals, when a hardware issue surfaced and a subsystem failed to perform as expected.

“It was a rollercoaster of emotions,” Daisy says. “Teamwork was at an all-time high during summer where everyone came together and had individual tasks to complete. However, when it became closer to the competition, the pressure was on.”

The team adjusted their driving strategy to compensate and delivered a strong overall performance. They were called up to receive the Excellence Award at the 2025 and 2026 New Zealand VEX U National Championships, qualifying them for the World Championships in the United States in April.

AURA is one of a small number of student teams selected for the new Makerspace Residency programme being delivered by the University’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE). Designed for teams building defined technical outputs such as competition entries or advanced prototypes, the residency provides dedicated access to the makerspace within Unleash Space, priority prototyping support and mentorship from CIE’s Technology and Prototyping team and Creative Technologists.

For AURA, that translated into practical advantage.

“Access to the makerspace was a huge game changer for AURA,” Daisy says. The team ran multiple A1 Bambu 3D printers simultaneously to fabricate custom parts and had the space to set up a full field to refine strategy and tune for reliability.

Beyond equipment, the open environment mattered. “Simply being in an open, shared space that people know means students, staff, and other makers would be able to stop by and ask questions,” Daisy says. “Having that level of experience around us has really helped improve our robots and the way we approach problems.”

Nationally, conversations about robotics and automation often focus on workforce change and capability gaps. A recent Reserve Bank Analytical Note found that in New Zealand robotics exposure is concentrated in manual and production roles, while AI exposure is more broadly distributed across professional occupations. Student-led initiatives such as AURA build hands-on technical capability alongside leadership and operational discipline, strengthening the pipeline of talent able to design, deploy and work alongside these technologies.

Next, AURA is redesigning and reprogramming its robots for the VEX World Championships, aiming for a top three finish in the Robot Skills Competition. The team is fundraising to support travel and competition costs.

For some members, Worlds carries particular significance. Co-president of AURA and team captain Ahil has previously qualified for the World Championships three times during high school but was unable to attend due to COVID restrictions.

“Being part of AURA’s journey to Worlds now feels like a full-circle moment,” he says. “Preparing for the competition brings back the same rush I felt in my very first season. That mix of excitement, nerves, and motivation to build something you’re proud of.”