Expressnews
National, April 2025: Team R Factor 6024 is a Pan-India cohort comprising 19 students from Grades 8 to 12, representing 8 schools across Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Pune. What’s truly commendable is that the team has seen a 300% increase in girl participation compared to previous years—a strong step forward for diversity in STEM.
Unlike many other teams, these students have built, wired, and programmed their robot—named “Goldfish”—entirely on their own, without any professional help. Guided by passionate mentorsNilesh Shah and Parul Shah at the Mind Factory in Mumbai, this team stands out for its ingenuity, independence, and grit.
This year, the team won two prestigious international accolades:
- 2025 Imagery Award at the FIRST Long Island Regional, recognizing excellence in engineering aesthetics
- 2025 Engineering Inspiration Award at thePhantom Lakes Regional, awarded for advancing community interest in engineering
Both awards were earned in competition with leading teams from the USA, Mexico, and Turkey.
Celebrating its 10th year in the FIRST program (For Inspiration and Research of Science and Technology), Team 6024 has gone beyond competitions to build an entire ecosystem for sustainable robotics learning in India. Their outreach efforts include:
- Teaching robotics to underprivileged children
- Organizing the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) in Pune
- Helping start 60+ new teams and supporting 360+ FTC teams
- Engaging 150+ volunteers and educators
- Partnering with government bodies to scale impact
True to their name, the “Orange Army” has consistently demonstrated their motto: “Winning Hearts With Winning Efforts.” With over 25 awards to their name, they exemplify innovation, perseverance, and a commitment to making FIRST ‘more than just robots’.
We would love your support in helping shine a light on this incredible student-led initiative and the impact it’s creating in the STEM education space. Happy to share visuals, student bytes, or set up an interaction with the mentors or team if of interest.
