The second edition of the Emirates Robotics Competition recently concluded, having seen participation from 53 teams across 14 national and international universities.
Organised in partnership between Dubai Future Labs, Khalifa University, and Rochester Institute of Technology, the competition’s final stage involved more than 200 students.
Participating students competed in teams of three to six across three main challenges, focusing on recycling and waste collection.
The winning teams were chosen by a panel of experts in robotics and engineering.
In the first challenge, teams designed and created recycling robots that could accurately and quickly identify different types of waste before distributing them in the correct places.
Meanwhile, the second involved robots collecting garbage quickly and disposing of it in two bins while also navigating around obstacles.
The final challenge involved teams creating robots that could extract waste floating on water.
Middlesex University Dubai’s team won the first challenge, and Rochester Institute of Technology secured top place in the second challenge, while a team from Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS Pilani) won first-place prize for the third.
The Emirates Robotics Competition represents a partnership between government entities and academic institutions designed to prepare a new generation of robotics developers in the UAE.
It aligns with a number of regional initiatives, including the Dubai Robotics and Automation Program, launched in 2022 by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Executive Council and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation.
The program aims to increase the sector’s contribution to Dubai’s GDP to 9 per cent within ten years.