Tonbridge boys test their design skills in DTE House Challenge

Tonbridge School pupils put their design and engineering skills to the test as they took part in the School’s annual DTE Inter-House Challenge.

This year’s task was to design and build a collapsible bridge that could be attached to a remote-controlled vehicle. The team had to manoeuvre its vehicle around two obstacle courses, and unload and construct the bridge, before crossing the finishing line.

Prior to the final, four students from each House had spent time developing and manufacturing their design solutions, before all teams competed for the prestigious DTE Inter-House trophy (with Amazon vouchers as an added incentive for the winning team).

Teams were awarded points for the design of their bridge, the quality of the construction and the time it took to complete the course.

Richard Day, Head of DTE, said: “As is always the case, Houses approached the problem in different ways and it was great to see so many innovative and creative solutions – with some being more successful than others! With the threat of time penalties, it was vital that teams were not only precision drivers of the remote-controlled vehicles, but also speedy in the assembly and disassembly of their bridges.

“Overall it was another successful and enjoyable contest, which called for a touch of design ingenuity but was also good humoured and fun. We are already looking forward to coming up with a fresh challenge for the 2023 contest.”

The winners were Cowdrey House, with the team not only securing the fastest time but also picking up the highest marks for design and construction of its bridge. Smythe followed closely in second place, with Welldon taking third.