Robots Attract Youth

Tamil Murasu, இளையரை ஈர்க்கும் இயந்திரமனிதர்கள்

(Summarised translation)

A robotics competition called RoboRoarZ, organised by the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), was held in Singapore for the fifth time in four years, attracting more than 380 students from Asian countries including Singapore, China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Oman. The competition challenges participants to use SUTD’s reconfigurable robot Smorphi to complete tasks in different categories such as live challenges, simulation challenges, and—introduced this year for the first time—an AI challenge related to the hospitality sector.

In the AI challenge, teams analysed images using artificial intelligence to identify issues such as whether a bed had been properly made or whether objects were left on the floor, reflecting real-world applications in hospitality where efficiency is increasingly important. The competition was started in 2023 by Associate Professor Mohan Rajesh Elara, who hopes to expand it to ten countries by 2026.

Winners of the competition came from several institutions including National University of Singapore, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Victoria Junior College, One World International School, and Woodgrove Primary School, across different competition categories.