The journey of the Fire Fighting Robot competition was never just a contest for me. It was a silent story of pushing beyond limitations, falling again and again, yet standing back up, and slowly growing into a better version of ourselves.
It all started in our very first semester at university. During a casual hangout, while scrolling through Facebook, we came across a post from BUET Robotics Society about their Fire Bot Competition. I talked with Amio and Bayezid, and we felt that although our dream was small, with courage and sincere effort, we could achieve something meaningful. That belief became the foundation of our journey.
Time was short, but our enthusiasm was deep. Amio and I went to Nawabpur to collect the necessary components. Holding each small part in our hands, we often wondered — could these tiny pieces truly turn our dream into reality? Then we searched the streets of Badda for plywood to build the robot’s body. Though our bodies were tired, there was a quiet happiness in our hearts.
At Bayezid’s aunt’s house, we began building the robot together. Ruhama and Kariba were also by our side. Late nights, repeated mistakes, fixing things patiently again and again — this was how our first Fire Fighting Robot slowly took shape.
On competition day, when the robot failed to climb the 30-degree ramp, our hearts felt heavy. It seemed as if all our hard work had gone in vain. But that failure taught us something important: losing is not the end; it is the beginning of learning.
In the following semester, joining the robotics club became a turning point in our lives. Iftekhar Bhai trusted us and formed a team to work on the Fire Bot. Working with Salauddin Bhai and Arnob Bhai, we learned not only about building robots, but also about patience, responsibility, and true teamwork. Although there was no fest at BUET in 2025, we did not stop. Facing new challenges, we redesigned the bot through discussions with Salauddin Bhai, Arnob Bhai, Rafi Bhai, Rifat Bhai, and Ariful Bhai.
When the fest was finally announced in 2026, it felt like our second chance. Due to the lack of a proper practice ramp and some dimensional issues, we decided to rebuild the robot once again. With Rusad and Tafsir joining us, we started from scratch.
On the day of the university convocation, Arnob Bhai, Ariful Bhai, Amio, and I went to campus to build a ramp and completed almost 80% of the work. The day before the fest, we finished the remaining work and began practicing — only to see the robot flipping over while trying to climb the ramp. In that moment, stress and disappointment hit us together. But Salauddin Bhai’s words gave us courage again.
From afternoon until 11:30 PM, we worked nonstop. And once again, we rebuilt not just a robot, but our dream.
The next day, standing at the competition venue, we didn’t just see a robot in front of us — we saw our entire journey reflected in it
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