The Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST) and the Department of eLearning have teamed up for the first time to organise the Malta Robotics Olympiad at the Cottonera Sports Complex.

The aim of the activity was to bring young people together to develop their creativity and problem-solving skills through challenging and educational robotics competitions.

This event gave students up to the age of 19 an opportunity to expand their horizons through the exploration of robots and robotic systems in their own school. In this manner, the concept of modern science was introduced into the school’s educational activities in science and technology.

Twenty teams competed in a team-based challenge, carrying out a series of tasks and overcoming challenges with the robot they had built themselves. Another two teams participated in the open category, whereby senior students showcased how robots can be used to help society on a day-to-day basis.

There were three categories in this competition: elementary, junior and senior.

The winners were: Savio College, St Ignatius College Luqa Primary, and San Ġorġ Preca Girls’ Secondary, Blata l-Bajda in the elementary category; St Augustine’s College, St Margaret College, Verdala Boys and Gozo College Boys’ Secondary in the junior category; and Mcast and RBSM International Boarding School in the open category.

Winning teams were awarded Malta Robotics Olympiad 2014 trophies, medals and other prizes. A certificate of participation was given to all participants.

Tony Dyson, the man who built the world’s most lovable robot R2-D2 as featured in the Star Wars films, attended the event and conducted a keynote speech about ‘Robots of the future’. He also signed autographs.

The next Robotics Olympiad will be held in April next year. Look up www.robotsmalta.org for more information.