Cover image via Bernama
Last weekend, 9 November, more than 3,000 young robot enthusiasts showed off their designs in Qatar for the 12th World Robot Olympiad. The students, from over 40 countries, designed, built and programmed robots, largely from plastic LEGO blocks.
These were then tested against a number of challenges including a Malaysian team demonstrating a mining robot which automatically activated a gas mask on the face of nearby miners if dangerous gasses were detected.
Image via Al Jazeera English
Each team was judged on their creativity and ingenuity
Malaysia emerged as the overall champion for the fifth time in seven years in the Olympiad by beating 43 other countries
"We beat 43 other countries in this competition and we are very proud of this victory," Education Ministry Co-Curricular and Arts division director Rozainum Ahmad told reporters after welcoming the return of the national contingent from Doha, Qatar at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on 10 November.
In total, 57 high school students from Malaysia were representing 19 schools, winning 3 gold medals, 2 silvers and 2 excellence awards
Students from three different schools pose with their 12th World Robot Olympiad medals after arriving in KLIA.
Image via The Malay Mail Online/Bernama
3 students from SMK USJ 4, Selangor won a Gold Medal for their robotic suit, designed to help miners work in dangerous conditions
They designed a robotic suit, equipped with its own drone and a moving camera system, to help miners who work in dangerous conditions. Their winning project for the lower secondary schools category is called the MECH, which stands for Mechanically Enhanced Crisis Handler.
"Its main purpose is to help miners with their task and also to protect them when there is a crisis," said Liew Chan Yue, one of the team members, adding, "The body suit will also automatically activate a gas mask if dangerous gases are detected."
Another team member Ruhanesh said the suit, equipped with a camera system called Alpha, would explore the mine before the miners go in. "There is GoPro camera attached to it, with a 360° view of the mine. There is also a gas sensor, so that when it detects harmful poisonous gas, it will send a signal to the suit. Once it is activated, a mask on the body suit will be turned on," he added.
The drone, which is equipped with a GPS device, can detect the user's nerve senses and emit signals to the system which could help identify the wearer's location. Asked what inspired the project, he said the group was moved by the Chilean mining disaster in 2010 known as the Copiapo mining incident.
