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Botball-Overall winners |
Qatar’s Al-Khor Independent School finished 2nd overall, while Raba’a Independent School for Girls won the Judge’s Choice Award during the double elimination tournament. For the third year in a row, Shell Qatar sponsored the regional tournament, which attracted 250 students from 27 schools.
As the first place winner, Al-Ru’ya Bilingual School will travel to Honolulu, Hawaii, in July to attend the 2012 Global Conference on Educational Robotics where they will meet middle school and high school students, robot enthusiasts, and professionals from around the world. In Honolulu, they will also compete in the 2012 International Botball Tournament.
With the international tournament set to take place in Hawaii, the theme focused on marine life and reef renewal.
Based on a hypothetical scenario in which a hurricane causes the destruction of the islands’ coral, students had to design and programme their robot to save the endangered coral by placing it in protected marine habitats. Robots moved autonomously by responding to visual triggers, requiring students to input commands in the code to have their robots respond to the surroundings. The ultimate goal was to show students how robotics technologies, physics and mathematical concepts can be used to perform tasks such as relocating a coral reef.
“Technology is at the heart of everything Shell does, and involving students in programmes that develop their scientific, computing and technological skills is of great importance,” said Robert Munster, Shell’s vice-president for Health, Safety, Environment, and Sustainable Development.
“The tournament is an innovative approach to introducing the students to elements of project management as well, which will help them hone their skills as leaders. We hope that this will contribute to human development, in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030,” he added.
The annual Botball season kicked off in Doha with a two-day workshop on January 27 and 28, in which 50 students from 29 regional schools learned how to command autonomous robots in two days.
“The interaction and collaboration between the students to better understand robotics help them prepare for university life by developing their project planning, teamwork and communication skills,” said Mohamed Mustafa, academic assistant at Carnegie Mellon Qatar and Botball technical advisor in the Middle East.
The following schools from Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Egypt participated in the Botball Regional finals: Ahmed bin Mohamed al-Thani School for boys, Al-Bayan Bilingual School, Al-Khor International School, Al-Mawakeb School (Al-Barsha), Al-Mawakeb School (Al-Garhoud), Al-Ru’ya Bilingual School, Al-Wakra Independent Secondary School for Boys, Al-Zobara Secondary School for boys, American School of Doha, Canadian International School of Egypt, Doha College, Doha Independent School, DPS-Modern Indian School, Dukhan English School, Global Academy International, Gulf English School, Hayah International Academy, Hamaza bin Abdul Muttalib School for boys, International School of Arts & Sciences, International School of London-Qatar, Khalifa Secondary School for Boys, Lycee Bonaparte, Mossab bin Omair Secondary School for boys, Omar bin Al- Khattab Boys School, Qatar Academy, Qatar International School, Raba’a Secondary School for girls, The British School of Kuwait and the Lebanese School-Qatar.