Robots that can travel, fly and conduct rescue missions in disaster areas; Lakeside Primary School received the championship

25 Aug 2023

Lianhe Zaobao, 25 Aug 2023, 能飞能走可进灾区救援 湖滨小学机器人概念夺冠
 
The idea of a land-air amphibious multi-modal robot to reach inaccessible earthquake-hit areas to remove debris and assist in rescue operations, won four Lakeside Primary School students the championship in a robotics competition.
 
The inaugural Robotics for a Better World Challenge was held on Wednesday (August 23) at Rulang Primary School. With the theme 'Disaster Relief', the competition attracted about 130 students from eight primary schools and three secondary schools in the Western District.
 
The "Safety Aid Friend" team from Lakeside Primary School won the championship in the primary school category; the "Trees" team from Kranji Secondary School won the championship in the secondary school category with the idea of ​​using robots to address bushfires and transporting fire retardants to the affected areas.
 
Ishan Low (12 years old, Sec 1), a member of the "Trees" team, said that the team put in many hours to prepare for this challenge, but it was still an unexpected surprise to win the championship. "We are just hoping to be in the top five, as winning is not our main objective. We enjoyed the challenge very much and look forward to the drones workshop at Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)."
 
SUTD, one of the event organisers, will hold a drone workshop at the end of this year. This workshop is specially designed by the University for primary and secondary school students.
 
Associate Professor Foong Shaohui of SUTD's Engineering Product Development Pillar said that students will learn programming at the workshop, as well as basic knowledge about drones, including design, control and operation. The organiser hopes that this immersive experience will nurture the students’ interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).