Who's made the best robot?

Five high schools from the UAE participated in the UAE leg of the Botball Educational Robotics Programme late last month. Al Mawakeb School-Al Barsha, the American Community School of Abu Dhabi, Al Mawakeb School-Garhoud, the Dubai American Academy and the International School of Arts and Science participated in the national competition rounds that took place at the Dubai American Academy.

It was not the students who competed — rather, it was their robots, which had to manoeuvre on their own on a game board. The use of a remote control is not allowed.

The programme is a combination of education and entertainment as students combine science, technology, engineering and maths with robotics to create autonomous robots from scratch. It was organised by the Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar.

Al Mawakeb School-Al Garhoud came first after scoring the highest in the tournament rounds as well as in the pre-competition documentation work. Al Mawakeb School-Al Barsha came in second, followed by the International School of Arts and Sciences.

The first two teams will now participate in the regional round of the competition which will be held on May 24 in Doha. The winners will travel to Norman, Oklahoma, USA, to attend the 2008 Global Conference on Educational Robotics.

The starting point

It all started with an intensive two-day workshop at the Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar where students were given the equipment for their robots, information on what a robot is, how it is built and the rules and regulations of the game. Student representatives from each group travelled to Qatar for this workshop, returning to debrief their team on the training they had received.

From that point on, teamwork proved crucial. While some students handled the programming, other team members took on the job of building the robot.

The teams – from Kuwait, Qatar, Egypt and the UAE – had seven weeks to work on their robots before the national championships were held in each country.

Can students make robots?

With knowledge, practice and persistence, they can. Students need a good knowledge of computer science as they have to make use of programming languages, problem solving and algorithms. They also need a good understanding of physics, especially Newton's Laws, gears and power transfer, friction and electricity. The maths component is largely knowledge of trigonometry, coordinate systems and mathematical models. In addition, students have to apply some engineering know-how and a bit of biology.

The teams also have to employ their writing skills in developing a report on their project and documenting it online. The project thus enhances students' communication skills, technological awareness, scientific method and problem-solving skills.

Instructors do not get involved in the designing, building or programming of the robot. They merely organise the process and ensure proper teamwork among the students.

Knowledge, practice, teamwork

Students agree that it is knowledge combined with training and teamwork that bring about the best results.

"It's great that we won and will be going to Qatar," said Shadi Al Ghoul from Al Mawakeb School-Al Barsha. "We worked really hard and had a really good time working as a team."

Al Ghoul was one of the team members who built the robot. "We took our time and made sure that it was very accurate. The competition was difficult but we achieved a good result," he said.

Another team member, Faisal Al Qadi, was part of the programming group. He said the task was not difficult as they were trained adequately.

Their school couldn't win in the national rounds last year; so with their win this year the team is determined to do well in the regional championship. "Our competitors in Qatar are tougher but we're getting ready for it," said Al Qadi.

Robotics in school

Some schools dedicate an entire course to robotics. The International School of Arts and Sciences is one of them. Its principal told Notes that the students, mostly in grades 9 and 10, competed against students from higher grades.

"We are very proud of the effort and commitment they made. We have a firm belief that this is an opportunity for students to get exposed to the field of computer technology and programming," said Muhieddine Soubra.

The Dubai American Academy runs a robotics programme for around 40 students every six months, according to Tony Deprato, information technology instructor. Students, however, agreed that it takes more than classroom theory to perfect the creation of a robot.

"The programming language we study in class is different from the one we use for making robots. We performed well in the competition considering it was our first time," Dylan Shiel said.

Although his team will not be participating in the regional competition, the students are looking forward to competing next year. "I am very excited and hoping that we win next time," Shahriar Khosravi, a grade 11 student, said.

What is Botball?

Botball is a US-based organisation that introduces robotics in high schools. The Botball Programme was developed in 1993 in the US by the KISS Institute for Practical Robotics.

The goal of the KISS Institute programme is to get high school and middle school students interested in science, information and engineering as they design, construct and programme an autonomous robot.

Botball club in the Middle East

Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar has started robotic clubs in Qatar and several Middle Eastern countries. The club held the first international Botball competition for students from several secondary schools at the Qatar Academy gym in Doha in 2005. The contest is being organised annually in the region, and it is judged by faculty from the university.

— Source: Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar