Exeter College students’ part of Oxford team securing second place in regional robotics competition

An Oxford robotics team led by Exeter College student Azka Adziman (2023, MEng Engineering Science) has secured second place out of 31 teams at the UniBots Cambridge Regionals, marking a significant achievement in the revival of competitive robotics at the University. 

The team, OxBots, competed in a national autonomous robotics competition held at the University of Cambridge. Their challenge was to design and build a fully autonomous robot capable of collecting ping pong balls and metal ball bearings and depositing them into a goal – without any human control. 

Azka, who led the team through its development, played a key role in re-establishing Oxford’s presence in student robotics competitions for the first time since 2022. The project involved complex technical problem-solving, including localisation using AprilTag detection, object recognition, strategic navigation, and efficient power and hardware management. 

The team adopted a rapid prototyping approach, progressing from initial concepts and cardboard models to iterative 3D-printed designs. Weekly sessions over the past term and a half enabled the group to refine their robot into a competition-ready system. 

Of the 13 students involved, two were from Exeter College, Azka and Sky Alexander (2025, MEng Engineering Science). The team partially funded by an Exeter College JCR motion, met regularly and developed their work at Cohen Quad. 

The result reflects both technical excellence and strong collaboration across the University. The team now looks ahead to competing at the UniBots national finals later this year, continuing to build on this promising return to competitive robotics. 

Exeter College students, Azka Adziman (2023, MEng Engineering Science) and Sky Alexander (2025, MEng Engineering Science) with the team of OxBots