Engineering the future: Impossible Robotics

What a wonderful logo and name these young Dutch students have come up with for their robotics team. If you are familiar with the famous Dutch artist M. C. Escher, the subtlety of their logo won’t be missed.

Victron Energy are delighted to announce they are to be one of the main sponsors of the Impossible Robotics team, where we hope the seemingly impossible will become possible, just as their logo intimates.

Why is Victron doing this? It’s quite straightforward really and I can do no better than to quote Matthijs Vader, MD of Victron Energy:

“This has little, if anything at all, to do with sponsorship money or profile for the company. For me this is about getting young people involved with electronics and related software. These young people are the engineers of tomorrow and the future for companies like Victron. We are delighted to support them.”

Visiting Victron

Here is a photo of Henk van der Wal (the team coach) and a young team member visiting Victron premises. Taken just the other day , it looks to me like a young person has just been let loose in candy store full of electronic sweets. I think that goes for the team coach too!

Impossible Robotics team members

Shown below are some of the team members, with their initial sketches and plans in the background as they plan for their first robot games challenge of 2015, called REcYcLE rush. This particular game that the team have registered for is being held in Richmond, Virginia , USA from Mar 18th – Mar 21st, 2015.

It is one of many events across the globe. All the FIRST Robotics Competition Events (which currently total 109) are listed here: http://www.thebluealliance.com/events

REcYcLE rush

To explain what this is, the best way is to see the ‘2015 FRC Game Reveal video‘, when the game REcYcLE rush was first revealed in early January, to participating teams around the world.

In principal this involves moving objects and containers about the game area, stacking them and filling them with items. I hope that is not an over simplification, as to my mind as an aging engineer, there is an incredible amount of planning, building and logistics that goes into this challenge. Not to mention looming deadlines.

My hat goes off then to these young people, as even for us adults it would be a challenge indeed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTyCIYZQ_1s

Founder & Coach

Henk van der Wal, is the founder and coach of the Impossible Robotics team. I spoke to him recently to learn more about the team background. Here is what he had to say:

“I’m very proud and indeed grateful for the fact that over the last three years, the core of our robotics team has grown from a middle school FIRST Lego League (FLL) team, via FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC), to an official FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team. During this time we have also had some notable successes.

First Place Award for Inspiration at the FLL Invitational World championship in Florida
17th place in a field of 48 FTC teams in the FTC Dutch Open, as a Rookie team
Engineering Inspiration Award with FRC Team Rembrandts, at the North Carolina Regional as guest team members
Imagery Award with FRC Team Rembrandts at the World Championship in St. Louis as guest team members

Whilst we are naturally thrilled with our achievements to date we have also gained a vast amount of experience and skills, not to mention the fun we’ve had and the friendships we’ve made.

Now we are ready to add to all this, with our very own FRC team: Impossible Robotics.

I’m most grateful to Victron Energy who has supported us through our development years and in 2015 continues to do so. Without this support none of this would have been possible.

Together with our sponsors we look forward to the future, the robotics challenges to come and the hands-on technical education this will bring. I say that with confidence and thanks to all.”

Stay in touch

We’ll be reporting regularly, as the team progresses, here on the Victron blog. Please also show your support in the DISQUS comments section below and/or like and follow the team:

Website – Impossible Robotics

Twitter – Team5412

Facebook – impossible.robotics

Conclusion

What can we say other than Victron Energy and all their staff wish the Impossible Robotics team every success this year and beyond.

Make the impossible possible and enjoy every minute. You are the engineers of the future.

John Rushworth on behalf of Victron Energy.

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Justin Tyers • 25 June 2025

3000 kilometre road trip with map, compass and fridge

Navigating Scandinavian back roads for eight days in an old car by map and compass takes you to some unexpected places. Both physically and mentally. Life in the slow lane can be refreshing yet challenging. Friends, Ferry, Jacco and Jurg , who live in Vlissingen in the Dutch province of Zeeland, were excited to undertake the 3000km Viking Sun Rally challenge – providing they could celebrate the end of each day’s adventure with cold beer straight from the fridge …no matter how far they strayed from the nearest bar. Setting off from Hamburg in a twenty year old Volvo V70XC which already had 370,000km on the clock, the team known as Walcheren Warriors followed their philosophy: Sometimes you just feel like doing something crazy. With limited weight and room available – and realising that success for their long and arduous journey depended on making careful choices about what to bring and what to leave behind, they installed four solar panels , a Sun Inverter , an AGM battery , a fridge, and a crate of beer. Leaving nothing to chance they also installed a SmartShunt so they could monitor the battery’s state of charge straight from the phone. Fridges sometimes draw a lot of power – failure to monitor the charge/discharge rate of their battery only invites the risk of having to drink warm beer. The Sun Inverter – as its name suggests – is a combined DC to AC inverter, and solar charge controller. Ideal for a road trip such as this, there is no installation – you simply attach your solar panel(s) and your battery with +ive and -ive leads …and you’re done. Instant, renewable AC power. The PWM solar charge controller harvests solar energy and optimises battery charge with a programmable algorithm. Up to 375W of solar panels can be attached – 500W for the 24V Sun Inverter Model. A toroidal transformer in the inverter continuously provides up to 250VA, and up to 400W for peak power surges. The SmartShunt acts as a battery monitor and is connected inline to the battery -ive cable. Participants in the Viking Sun Adventure Rally choose which charity they would like to support. There is a mandatory donation at the time of registration and teams are encouraged to continue to raise funds before and during their journey. The Walcheren Warriors chose to support Stichting Dromen voor Duchenne . a charity which provides adventure days for people with the condition known as Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Ferry says: We thought: if we can make a difference for the charity with our road trip, then we’ll go for it. We started with €250 from our own pockets, but donations soon came in from friends, family, colleagues — even from people we didn’t know until we reached a total amount of €5,330! Their journey took them as far north as Trondheim, Norway – close to the Arctic Circle. We really enjoyed the fact that it is only dark for 2 hours a day. We were able to fish in daylight until midnight! Strangely enough, it was a very nice experience to have. In Sweden, there’s a good chance of spotting a moose in the wild! We were very keen to actually experience this – so much so that we stopped the car when we thought we’d seen our first moose – but it turned out to be just a tree stump… luckily we were rewarded and 30 minutes later when a moose walked right in front of our car! Story: Something we will never forget. We drove through forests, over mountains, along fjords — really breathtaking. We slept in tents, cooked on a gas burner, and drove on back roads. We met other teams along the way and yes, we got lost. Often. But that was part of it. Every detour brought us something new! The rally is over, but the excitement remains. We experienced something beautiful, together as friends, and we were able to make a difference to others. That is worth gold. And who knows… maybe we will participate again next year.

gewest-fryslan-skaters-race-ahead-featured

Justin Tyers • 23 January 2025

Gewest Fryslân skaters race ahead

Training Coaches at Dutch skating club Gewest Fryslân have been rewarded with some impressive results over the last few days as they work to develop the young skating talent in their care. On 11 and 12 January, in Leeuwarden hosted the Daikin NK Shorttrack event, providing two days of thrilling action! With short track races of 500m, 1000m and 1500m distances, and the exciting mixed relay, it provided an exciting weekend for skaters and spectators alike. The National Championship Junior all-rounders and Long Distance took place at Icerink Twente , Enschede on 18 and 19 January, Willeke Bouwhuis achieved third place for the 500m, 1000m, and 1500m events. Thijs Wiersma achieved a track record in the 3000m race and was overall champion and long distance champion in the 1500-1000 metre events, whilst Sem Spruit achieve third place in the overall class and came second in the 1500 metre events. Berend Lange claimed third place for the 500metres – and second place in the 1000metre events; and Mika Kolder was overall champion and acheived second place for the 1500 metre event. Coach Peter Kolder Chris de Velde was the ‘mass start’ champion, whilst Sil van der Veen achieved third place. Skaters and Coaches alike will be very encouraged by these promising performances – both driven by an aspiration to stand among the top Dutch team skaters, and to represent their country on the world stage. Training is a gruelling and relentless process, but the rewards are sweet! There are meetings every week as the season unfolds. Last weekend the rink at Thialf hosted a selection event for the figure skating at which our shining star is Anna de Groot. Anna has been recovering from an injury, but is looking strong again in rehearsals. With meetings every week at Thialf or the Elfstedenhal both teams and coaches are working hard to achieve the goals they have set themselves for the season. Each team is committed – junior progress-makers and experienced skaters alike – are striving for excellence, and their passion shows. Some of our long distance skaters will compete at the Dutch championship sprint/pure sprint in Eindhoven this weekend (25/26 January). And Good luck to Mika Kolder , Sil van der Veen , Jasmijn Veenhuis and Mats Bendijk who are leaving for Collalbo, Italy, to prepare for the Worldcup (1/2 Feb) and World championship (8/9 Feb) . We at Victron Energy are proud to support our sponsored club team and coaches in their constant pursuit of greatness. We look forward to hearing more from the team as the season builds to a climax! You can follow team news straight from the horse’s mouth on the Gewest Fryslân club Facebook page. All photography reproduced here is the work of Dyane Ribbink.

Justin Tyers • 10 January 2025

Skating team turns on the heat

Netherlands skating team KNSB Gewest Fryslân has already achieved some impressive podium finishes this season. Don’t miss out on the climax of the action! Victron Energy is very proud to be nurturing young skating talent, once again, as Main Sponsor of the team. The more-than 100 year old club continues to produce world-class skaters through their coaching programmes. We’ll hear a little more about some of the successes they’ve achieved so far this season in a minute – but if you’re new to the sport, let’s take a quick look at what it’s all about! At first glance competition rules and event classes can seem a little bit baffling – sometimes they really are! But the sport of skating provides lots of excitement for the casual spectator and connoisseur alike. Competition skating is an Olympic class event practised, most notably, by a number of European countries, Canada, USA, South Korea, China and Japan. Ice Skating fans often have a favourite event and there are a number of skating disciplines to choose from – featuring Short and Long track events for individuals, teams and even Mass Start! – together with Figure Skating singles or pairs. Performing on ice-skating tracks of up to 400m in length, official Speed Skating competitions are organised into distances of 500, 1000, 1500, 1500, 5000 and 10,000 m. Even over long distances it is possible to maintain speeds of over 50kmh/30mph on blades which measure 420mm / 17 inches. Some events take place on a shorter track allowing the excitement to build as skaters navigate tighter curves at which they arrive more quickly! In races with four to eight skaters, success hinges on a combination of tactics, agility, and acceleration. It’s not always the strongest or fastest skater who wins; strategy plays a crucial role. During races between two (and sometimes three) competitors the inside and outside skater must swap lanes at each lap to share the advantage. Sprint Racing is a singles race over distances of 500m / 1,000m / 1,500m – where the skater’s overall performance is recalculated to provide their average speed over 500 metres. Figure Skating Performed as singles or pairs to music, competitors strive to exhibit their form, style, and technique through movements, spins, jumps, and figures on the ice. In the pairs events, these skills are thrillingly augmented by synchronized movements, where the partnership coordinates their actions – ‘both ahead’ or with one partner in reverse – and performs lifts, throws, throw jumps, and death spirals – making for hair-tingling viewing. Points are awarded based on the quality of their performance, including the execution of their elements and the technical difficulty. Team Pursuit The Team Pursuit event is contested between two teams of three skaters each, over six or eight laps. At the start of the race the teams begin on the straight, opposite each other on the oval rink – therefore separated by half-a-lap. A team wins when all three of its skaters cross the finish line ahead of all three of the other team – or when the whole of one team overtakes the other. Mass Start Arguably one of the most exciting events in skating is the Mass Start – in which up to 24 skaters race 16 laps. These ‘short track’ events see skaters compete en-masse, round tight curves with no designated lanes. They are frantic dashes to the winning line with a lot of contact between skaters, and great potential for clashes …and sometimes chaos! It’s an elimination event where succeeding heats are populated by the winners of previous bouts – on the way to the top there will be many falls and disqualifications! Gewest Fryslân are sliding ahead of the competition! This season’s Ice skating competition is warming up. Let’s take a quick look at some of the notable performances which have been achieved by our sponsored skaters – so far. Among the Junior team Mats Bendijk comfortably won his last 3000 meter event with Sil van der Veen taking third place. Elsewhere, Mats Bendijk achieved silver in one of his 1500 metre events, whilst in the Team Pursuit event Bendijk, Sil van der Veen and Mika Kolder achieved third place. Team eventers Britt Breider, Elbrich Nicolay and Elanne de Vrie s won the Team Sprint and their Mixed Relay race, whilst also achieving second place in the Team Pursuit. We’re very proud of the competitive spirit amongst all our team members – and whilst any one snapshot of stand-out performances may not reflect the efforts of the whole team – other skaters who have climbed the podium already this season include: Kai-Anre Ottenhof, Jonas de Jong; Leon Visser; Jack Boekema; Berend Lange; Sem Spruit; Jarin Ridder; Niek Almost; Rutger Jansma; Anouk Aalders; Eva-Sofie Elferink; Willeke Bouwhuis; Breider and Sietse de Vries; Kailey van der Veen and Tjalle Nijenuis; Otte Hilarides and Ingmar Carpenter; Djoeke Schmitz; Lana Sumirah Schiphof; Janna Wietske van der Ende; Silke Middeldorp; Isa Vijfhuizen; Aaliyah Naceri and Djura Elzinga. Tijn Borst secured the national title in the neo-senior women’s marathon, breaking away with Vera van Ditshuizen and Kaat van Steekelenburg in the final. In a strong sprint to the finish, she outpaced the others to claim the victory. That’s a quite lot of skaters who have stretched themselves to greatness. I hope I haven’t missed out any notable early successes – but we can see already that the whole team are really committed to achieving notoriety for their club, their coaches, and for themselves! The achievements of Pien Smit are worth singling-out as she seems to be shaping up for a World Cup debut. If you find yourself in the Netherlands this weekend or sometime over the next couple of weeks you can spectate the Gewest Fryslân team’s upcoming competitions on the following dates and locations: 11th and 12th of January: Daikin NK Shorttrack in Leeuwarden (the capital city of the province of Fryslân) 18th and 19th of January: KNSB Cup A3 Klaverblad Bokaal (figure skating) in Heerenveen 18th of January: KNSB Cup Top 2 Shorttrack in Heerenveen We wish our sponsored team all the luck and success in the world and we will be bringing you more news as the culmination events of the 24/25 winter season reaches their climax! All photographic images are the work of Wiebe Sietze

Engineering the future: Impossible Robotics

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