Day one came with a few hardware hurdles, most of them about power. The kit's battery holder takes 18650 cells, and the batteries in our box turned out to be a different size, so we couldn't power the arm at first. The organisers tracked down the right 18650s for us within a couple of hours. Chargers for them weren't available at first, though, so once the cells ran flat during testing, the arm had to sit idle. We tried connecting the board to our laptops for power but it was not enough to power all of our servo motors. This was truly a challenge for us!

The organisers have been quick and resourceful throughout. They've sourced replacement parts, checked in with teams regularly, and arranged USB hubs and extra power options to keep everyone moving. So we were relieved and grateful when they let teams take their builds home overnight. The extra time means we can charge the batteries, finish the wiring and keep working on the software, and be ready to test at full power in the morning.