Twenty seven children from a robotics team of Dhirubhai Ambani International School (DAIS) have qualified for the world championship of the First Robotics Competition to be held in Detroit later this month.
Being one of the only two teams from India to have qualified for the prestigious competition, Team Elev8 comprises of students from grades 9 to 12. The team that worked on their robot ‘Antriksh,’ begun their groundwork in August 2018 after winning The Rookie All-Star Award at the Hudson Valley regional competition, they and are heading for the world championship on April 24.
The four ft-tall robot weighing 55 kg was constructed over a rigorous six-week training programme and can shoot basketball hoops. The children would work on the project daily after school hours. “The children would stay back after school every day, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., five days a week,” said Abhimanyu Basu, Academic Project Director at DAIS.
Mr. Basu said that the school had appointed professionals who could teach them the basics of robotics, CAD and electrical. Talking about how the children faced several obstacles over the course of time, Mr. Basu said, “We worked with the RoboFund club, a company which was dedicated to training the children after school.”
Apart from competing, the children have also invested 2,000 hours in tutoring over 10,000 students over the basics of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics or STEM. “The team has worked with the Goa government and Sankalp NGO in Dharavi for mentoring the underprivileged. We believe it is not only about the competition, but it is also about spreading the beliefs and passion.,” Mr. Basu said.
Raring towards the world championship, the excited group of children is expected to fly on Saturday. “As I started building and wiring and programming, I felt sure of myself and proud in a way that only comes with seeing something you’ve created yourself, with metal and screws and sweat and fingers. That comes with being a part of something much, much bigger than yourself,” said Aarushi Majumder, a grade 12 student of DAIS.
The World Championship held in Detroit is considered to be a celebration of STEM. It will bring thousands of students from around the world, along with educators, industry professionals, sponsors, organisations. universities, as well as colleges that will support the students, enrolled for the competition.
