First time Khalifa University joined the WRO competition.
A team of Khalifa University students won 3rd place at the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) UAE 2021 that was held from October 1 to 3, 2021.
The WRO is a series of national robotics competitions of WRO member countries with over 85 national events organized worldwide. The WRO UAE 2021 event gathered around 800 participants grouped in 300 teams.
The teams competed in three categories, Regular, Open, and Future Engineers, under the theme “Powerbots – The Future of Energy.” This season’s theme focused on the challenges that come with using more energy from renewable sources. The teams were asked to build robots that specifically address the following:
- Modernizing the energy use of a house;
- Assisting e-vehicle charging in a parking garage;
- Managing the energy mix on the grid; and
- Designing self-driving cars that use sensors to avoid obstacles.
Students in the Regular category were tasked to design, build, and program robots to solve specific challenges within a set timescale. The instructions were given at random during the day of the competition and the students had to video record themselves as they worked on their robot to complete the challenges given to them. They submitted their video within 24 hours after the instructions were given to them.
Khameis Mosabbah Alzeyoudi, BSc in Electrical Engineering, Wasan Khameis Aldhanhani, BSc in Aerospace Engineering, Humaid Abdulla Alhammadi, BSc in Computer Science, Khaled Ali Alshaloubi BSc in Mechanical Engineering, Khawla Mohammed Ashkanani, BSc in Electrical Engineering, Shamma Fadhel Alghfeli, BSc in Chemical Engineering, Muna Abdelrahman Almaazmi BSc in Aerospace Engineering, and Mahra Eid Alsuwaidi, BSc in Industrial and Systems Engineering, competed as two teams in the Regular Senior Category where they designed a robot that was built and programmed to perform certain tasks that can facilitate the use of renewable energy.
Not only were the students able to build up on their STEM and robotics knowledge, but they were also able to hone other soft-skills such as creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and communication, all of which are important and needed in the digital transformation of global businesses and industries.
Team member Shamma shared, “We are so honored to be one of the top three teams in the National World Robotics Olympiad 2021, and grateful to be the recipient of the third position award. A huge thanks to our team for always working hard and still maintaining a friendly environment. In addition, special thanks to the university for supporting us by providing us with the required materials and a space for us to embrace our creativity and to potentially win this competition. We are always willing to compete again in this competition and hopefully win the top position one day.”
Ara Maj Cruz
Creative Writer
13 December 2021
