Students, their robots up for $5 million challenge
abu dhabi — Thirty-two teams from universities across the globe have presented their expertise in artificial intelligence (AI) — drone capture, construction automation, firefighting and emergency response — for a $5 million (Dh18.3 million) challenge.
Teams from 17 universities are competing at Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge (MBZIRC) 2020 which kicked off in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. The youngsters are taking part in four robotics challenges that are testing advanced embodied AI technical skills.
The three-day competition, organised by the Khalifa University of Science and Technology and held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), includes three challenges and a triathlon type Grand Challenge.
On Sunday, the teams had their first trial for the three challenges. “It is a tough competition but every team has their own way of understanding the challenges and comprehending how they are going to tackle the challenges,” said 19-year-old Hussein Mehdi, from Emirates Aviation University, which is representing the UAE and the region in the competition.
“We developed a robust system that can adapt to different situations. The cameras and flight controllers are already used by professionals. We adapted the design and modified it in our own way.”
The Pakistani national, who is part of the eight-member UAE team, said the drone can be used to detect and extinguish fire. He added that it took an year to develop the three projects presented in the challenge and they spent Dh60,000.
Today will entail second trials for all three challenges, while the final winners will be announced tomorrow.