Dubai displays tech reputation with global robotics contest

Seeking to bolster its im as a forward-looking metropolis, Dubai hosted largest-ever international robotics contest this week, challenging young people from 190 countries to find solutions to global ocean pollution.

Event organizers say ir selection of Dubai as host reflects a vote of confidence that this oil-rich Emirati sheikhdom can be a global hub for invation. y also expressed hope that bringing toger tomorrow’s scientists and engineers will help develop techlogies to solve world’s most pressing issues, particularly those related to environment.

Dean Kamen, founder of FIRST Global Challenge, said Middle East represents a part of world where “ ults have t learned how to play nice with each or” and it was up to young people to fix humanity’s self-inflicted wounds.

“We are in an accelerating race toward catastrophe, wher it’s global warning, melting of (polar ice) caps, bird flu, terrorism — you name it, we’re worried about it. solution to most of world’s grand challenges depends on better techlogies than we have today,” he said.

“This globe of ours is on life support, so thought is we get every kid in every country to focus on learning how to use techlogy, but focus on using it as a tool and t a weapon,” he explained.

ufficial “Robotics Olympics” seeks to encour young people to pursue subjects kwn as STEM — science, techlogy, engineering and mamatics. Teams of four to five students, d 14-18, each received a kit of rods, wheels, wires and or raw materials with which to assemble ir roving robots. ir task: Collect orange balls of various sizes from a playing field, which represented human-created pollutants in ocean. Some devised robots for scooping, while ors snatched up and fired balls through air into receptacles.

teams n formed “alliances,” each with up of four nations, to battle ir way to final round. Overall, 1,500 students took part.

A team captained by Belarus, and including Syrian refugees, eventually won gold medal, edging out a team captained by Israel in a dramatic final match. But organizers stressed a mess of unity, t conflict.

“ kids get it. To m this isn’t a competition; this is a ‘coop-etition.’ This is a celebration of techlogy,” said Kamen.

Previous events tackled challenges related to clean water access and sustainable energy.

Robotics is a natural fit for Dubai, a city that’s alrey testing driverless cars and taxis. It’s become a magnet for international entrepreneurs, with an entire zone called “Internet City” that’s packed with high-tech startups. Next October, Dubai will host Expo 2020, welcoming techlogical breakthroughs from around world.

“If we are to become city of future, we need to have right talent from around world,” said Omar Al-Olama, 29-year-old Emirati Minister of Artificial Intelligence, world’s first such minister. “Artificial intelligence is based on data. Data is what drives all se new techlogies. We have holy grail of data. We have 200 nationalities represented in this country.”

FedEx recently anunced Dubai would become first city outside U.S. to test Roxo, an automous delivery device that can travel on sidewalks and even unpaved surfaces.

Roxo me its debut international appearance at this week’s robotics contest, drawing interest of tech-savvy teens hailing from places as diverse as Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. y mingled in Dubai’s Festival City, exchanging experiences and forming friendships while talking shop about ir ggets.

“We didn’t do so well in matches because we h a lot of trouble with control hub, but it doesn’t matter, we h a lot of fun,” said Stefan Sijbesma, 17, from Nerlands. “For me, robotics is really important because it really helped me choose what I want to study and what I want to do with my life.”

three-day tournament h a festival-like atmosphere to it, with anuncers and commentators analyzing action in sports-brocast style and fans waving flags and banners supporting ir teams. pavilion floor was filled with facts about millions of tons of pollutants threatening world’s oceans, and featured slogans such as “united by land, connected by oceans” and “toger we turn tide on pollution.”

As nail-biting results were being anunced, Israelis huddled with ir Ugandan teammates before embracing winning team in a feel-good ending.

“I can’t believe it, it’s a miracle,” said Yamen Najjar, manr of Team Hope, which represents Syrian refugees and was part of winning alliance. “It was a very difficult competition for us, we faced a lot of problems, but we didn’t lose hope.”

Outgoing U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry, who’d me original anuncement that Dubai would host event earlier this year in a surprise visit to World Government Summit, was on hand. Perry said he’s followed robotics tournaments since 2002 when, as goverr of Texas, he attended one of regional competitions in Houston and was “blown away” by passions and abilities of young contestants.

But he said he found ir camarerie even more impressive.

“It is stunning what se young people are doing,” Perry said. “Where ults may have failed in standpoint of international diplomacy, se young people may accomplish, and if that’s case maybe that is most important thing that comes out of this.”

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Follow Aron Heller at www.twitter.com/aronhellerap