Playa del Carmen Robotics Club Advances to National Competition With Eco-Friendly Robots

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Robots designed to combat deforestation, move trees and aid in sargassum cleanup are among the projects developed by students in the Astro-Engineers Robotics Club, based at the Sayab Planetarium in Playa del Carmen.

The team’s mission extends beyond competition: its members want robotics to help children and teenagers develop solutions to problems that directly affect the Riviera Maya.

Tackling environmental challenges

Yosafat Garcia, an environmental engineer and collaborator at the Sayab Planetarium, said the program brings together specialists from different fields to introduce elementary, middle school and high school students to engineering.

What sets the group apart, he said, is that its projects go beyond technology education or contests. Students build robots with practical applications aimed at regional environmental issues.

The intention, Garcia explained, is that the technology created by the students can become a real tool for confronting problems facing Riviera Maya residents.

Advancing to the national stage

The club works with students at three educational levels — elementary, middle school and high school. The middle and high school groups are currently Quintana Roo state champions in their robotics competition.

Their next challenge is set for September 5-6 at the Poliforum in Cancun, where they will compete at the national level and try to earn a spot in an international competition.

The team is confident in the skills its members have developed and believes the projects built in Playa del Carmen can carry them to the next stage.