Team Sri Lanka Gears Up for FIRST Global Challenge 2023
Since early July, the sounds of electrical tools and voices discussing mathematical equations have been a constant in the halls of Elizabeth Moir School. The voices in question belong to the members of the Sri Lankan team for this year’s FIRST Global Robotics Challenge. The team, comprised of 11 students from Elizabeth Moir School and 1 student from the British School in Colombo, has been preparing industriously for the upcoming competition which will take place in Singapore from October 7-10.
The FIRST Global Challenge is an annual Robotics Olympiad aimed at generating interest in STEM education among youth and inspiring careers in the field. Every year teams from all over the world design robots which compete in problemsolving tasks that symbolically represent solutions to some of the greatest issues facing engineers in the areas of sustainability, health, security and quality of life. According to FIRST Global, this year’s challenge,
Hydrogen Horizons, is focused on finding ways to “produce, store, transport and convert hydrogen into other useful forms of energy.”
Teams organised by Elizabeth Moir School have represented Sri Lanka in the FIRST Global Challenge every year since its inception, with 2023 being its 7th year. This included competitions in Washington D.C., Mexico City, Dubai and Geneva, as well as online competitions in 2020 and 2021. In addition to proudly representing their country on the global stage, previous delegations won Judges’ Awards for Technical Excellence in both Mexico City and Dubai, a Bronze Medal in Dubai, and brought home a Gold Medal from Geneva last year after winning the prestigious Zhang Heng Award for Engineering Design.
This year’s team worked on potential designs using a computer-aided design programme (CAD) while awaiting the arrival of the robotic components. Upon receiving their kit from FIRST Global at the start of
August, the team commenced bringing their vision to life. While the robot and its design will remain under wraps until it is unveiled at the competition, it is clear that each of the highly dedicated and enthusiastic
young people involved have taken full advantage of this opportunity to show off their engineering skills. Amidst the building process, the team made time to take part in the various social media challenges posted by FIRST Global.
As the competition date grows ever closer, the mounting excitement is palpable. While nerves are running high, all involved have no doubt that Team Sri Lanka will acquit itself admirably when it comes to defending their title. As team member Hanzalah Siraj said: “We’re really happy with what we’ve achieved and we’re confident that we can show the judges what Team Sri Lanka is capable of.” The teamwork and skills that have been on display from the beginning show that when the five students chosen for the travelling delegation arrive at the competition, they will prove once again that Team Sri Lanka is a force to be reckoned with.