Indian team wins silver in World Robot Olympiad

Outshining over 450 teams, team "High Voltage" from India (Gurugram) won a silver in the Regular Junior High category in the 13th World Robot Olympiad (WRO) that concluded at India Expo Mart in Greater Noida on Sunday.

The two-day international championship, jointly organised by National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture and India STEM Foundation (ISF), was based on the theme "Rap the Scrap".

"We witnessed some path-breaking ideas and prototypes, as the students developed innovative ways of designing and programming autonomous robots. We believe this competition had a tremendous learning experience for the participants," A.S. Manekar, Director General, NCSM, and Chairman Advisory Board of WRO 2016 Organising Committee, said in a statement.

The competition was held for students in the 9-25 years age group in categories -- Regular category (Elementary, Junior High, Senior High), WRO Football, Open category and Advanced Robotics Challenge. Over 2,000 students from over 50 countries showcased innovative solutions using robotics technology to reduce, manage and recycle waste.

"The WRO holds a dear place in our hearts. I wish to point out the important role of robotics in the context of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education," Law King Hui, Chair of the WRO Advisory Committee, said.

"Applying STEM knowledge in forming concrete solutions, all the while thinking creatively and critically, with the ability to communicate and collaborate with others is the essence of WRO," Law noted.

Prior to the finals, regional competitions were held at Delhi, Lucknow, Tirupati, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Kolkata, Varanasi, Guwahati, Bangaluru, Surat, Mumbai, Bhopal and Chandigarh earlier this year.

--IANS

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