Underwater robot challenge looks to whet appetite of disabled students for career in engineering
Youngsters from mainstream schools join those with special educational needs in competition to assemble and pilot robots through sub-aqua obstacles
An underwater robot assembled and piloted by visually impaired students left spectators in awe as it slithered through obstacles in a pool as agile as a water snake at the Underwater Robot Challenge.
Guided by a team of five students from the Ebenezer School and Home for the Visually Impaired, the robot went up against creations from 24 other teams that included youngsters from both mainstream schools and those for students with special educational needs.
The competition, held in April, is organised by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, which is now gearing up for 2017’s event with a HK$75,000 donation from Operation Santa Claus, the annual charity campaign organised by the South China Morning Post and RTHK.
The challenge aims to bring together mainstream students and those from special needs schools through a shared love of engineering. It is looking to recruit 40 teams for next year’s competition.
Participants spend three days assembling their robots from loose components and later manoeuvring them to accomplish a series of tasks in a swimming pool. The underwater challenges range from going through tunnels to picking up metals.