Another Folsom-area high school robotics team has earned statewide recognition and a trip to the global stage after capturing a major engineering award at this year’s California robotics championship.
Team COGNITAUR 29712C earned the prestigious Think Award at the 2026 California Region 2 VEX V5 Robotics Championship, securing qualification for the VEX Robotics World Championship in St. Louis, Missouri.
The Think Award is presented to the team that demonstrates the most advanced robot programming, autonomous strategy and innovative use of sensors and algorithms. Judges consider both the sophistication of the robot’s code and the engineering design process used to develop it.
The state championship brought together approximately 80 robotics teams from across California. Judges selected COGNITAUR for its advanced programming architecture and strong engineering documentation that detailed the robot’s development throughout the competitive season.
A key element of the team’s system was a custom programming framework developed by team captain Ayushmaan Bellum called the C-PRISM framework, short for Cognitaur Probabilistic Runtime Inference & Sensor Fusion Model. The algorithm integrates sensor fusion and probabilistic reasoning to help the robot interpret data from multiple sensors and make smarter decisions during autonomous gameplay.
The system allows the robot to navigate the competition field and react to changing conditions more effectively during autonomous rounds, where robots must perform tasks without driver control.
“We spent months refining our autonomous routines and improving how the robot interprets sensor data,” said Bellum. “Winning the Think Award was especially meaningful because it recognizes the engineering and programming behind the robot.”
The team documented its entire engineering process in a detailed 420-page engineering notebook, which tracked the robot’s design evolution, testing data, programming development and performance improvements throughout the season.
COGNITAUR is made up of four student members who collaborate on the robot’s design, engineering and competition strategy. Bellum serves as team captain while also contributing as the robot’s CAD designer, programmer, builder and driver. Umesh Maddineni leads the team’s documentation and strategy efforts, helping track engineering decisions and competitive planning throughout the season.
The VEX Robotics World Championship is considered the premier global competition for student robotics programs. Teams that qualify through state and regional championships earn the opportunity to compete against top robotics teams from across the United States and dozens of countries around the world.
With their Think Award victory at the California championship, Team COGNITAUR 29712C will now advance to St. Louis to compete at the VEX Robotics World Championship, representing the region on one of the largest stages in student robotics.
Copyright © 2026, Folsom Times, a digital product of All Town Media LLC. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
