Day five:

What a day! This was the first day of competition so everything had to be ready for the performances. St Trinians was scheduled for 6.00 p.m. and Rock ‘n’ Roar for 9.00 p.m. Rock ‘n’ Roar were almost the last act on the main stage: it was going to be a long day for everyone. The technical judging when the teams were asked questions on their robots was to be held in the afternoon for both teams.

Both teams spent the morning preparing their robots before setting of for the competition venue before lunch. I was sent into Suzhou city to find DV tapes for the camcorder and the elusive SIM cards to get our phones working in China. We have been trying to get these ever since we arrived, but with no success.

Stephen the hotel doorman gave instructions to my taxi driver as to where to drop me off in the city. The taxi driver appeared to be quite an irascible, impatient sort of a person. This was borne out by his driving; it was an interesting 15 minute ride. I saw a lot more bicycles on this journey and a lot more elderly people. In our stay in the hotel and in the short trips we have made from it everyone we saw was young (in their late teens and twenties). The very few elderly people we saw appeared to work for the local council keeping the street clean and doing gardening. There were also comparatively few children to be seen; evidence of the success of China’s one child per family policy?

As the taxi came closer to the centre of the city I saw a lot more elderly people walking and cycling through the streets. I saw a lot more bicycles too, and the buildings and streets looked older and more dilapidated in places. This was the China which I had expected.

After several twists and turns in the taxi which successfully disorientated me we stopped and I got out into the heat of the city. The air-conditioning in the taxi had been icy and refreshing; the heat hit me like a wall as I left it.

I walked into the shop to which I had been directed. I smiled at the staff and they smiled at me, and each other. We all knew that I didn’t speak a word of Chinese and that the next few minutes were going to be interesting. As it transpired they didn’t sell DV tapes or SIM cards, but they pointed to a nearby China Mobile shop. In here they wouldn’t sell me a SIM card without a passport, left in the hotel. Never mind, I went in search of DV tapes, having been directed by China Mobile staff to the People’s Store. This was a huge department store whose 5 floors I searched in vain for camera equipment. I showed various staff my camera and they nodded or shook their heads and pointed in various different directions. All were keen to help and a few tried out basic English. I ended up out on the streets again before finding a shop that had the Canon sign. This was another part of the People’s Store and where I got the DV tapes.

Having achieved (albeit) limited success I started to explore the local area (whilst keeping an eye on the main road I had entered from. A huge area was pedestrianised and full of an eclectic mix of shops. It was fantastic and fascinating. I could have spent all day there, but I had to get back to the hotel. After a quick purchase of gifts for my 2 girls I taxied back to the hotel and then caught the number 28 bus to the venue.

When I arrived Dr Hughes was judging the Primary section of the robot dance and both teams were getting prepared for the competition. I took Rock ‘n’ Roar to eat in the food area downstairs. Despite the obvious attractions of the Chinese buffet which looked delicious we settled for Western styled chips, beef burgers, etc. It was adequate, if uninspiring, but we all returned to the competition area refreshed.

The girls returned the pit area (robot preparation area) to get ready for the technical interviews. In these each team is asked about how the had engineered their robots and solved problems along the way. This is to identify teams who clearly know what they have been doing with their robots, compared to those who have had someone do it for them. Later in the day Dr Hughes told me of one team whose robot was at least 10 years old, discoloured and rusty. The team had clearly not worked on it themselves and the technical interviews highlighted this.

When I asked the teams how they did in their interviews they were both quite reserved. I think that the fact that they didn’t have English speaking judges may have been an issue.

I had settled to watch the performances trying to find a space where it was possible to video from. I did finally get into a good place.


The first of our teams to come on were St Trinians. The team before them had pulled out so they were unexpectedly called on to the stage. There were problems with the music and the DVD, and setting up all of their equipment. However when the music started everyone was in place and the robots worked well. The life sized robot which is the central dance character was fantastic with some very life-like “finessed” movements. Apparently one or two things did go wrong with the performance, but I was not aware of them as I was swept up in the show.

Then came Rock ‘n’ Roar as the penultimate act of the evening. They set up their robots quickly, and tidied away quickly too; this is important because each team only has 5 minutes to enter and leave the stage. After a quick set up Emily introduced the team, the music started and Rock ‘n; Roar went straight into their routine. The robots behaved impeccably. This was impressive because many of the competitors had problems with their robots and had to adjust them mid-routine, or just give up because they failed. It is not easy to get everything working without fault at the prescribed time. Lily, Abbie and Emily all danced well and with confidence. Everything worked very well and the team was very happy with the whole performance: fantastic.

After lengthy deliberations about how things could be improved for the repeat performance on the following day from the St Trinians technical team we all left the venue after 9.00 p.m. and taxied to the hotel. Dr Hughes stopped off at a supermarket to pick up some food for us and we had a good meal in our rooms. Everyone had had an exhausting day and went to bed as early as possible.