RMIT facilitates engineering education for youth

Tiếng Việt

RMIT facilitates engineering education for youth

In late August, RMIT Vietnam hosted the much anticipated Robotacon 2017 as part of the University’s commitment to supporting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in Vietnam.

Organised by the HCMC Department of Education and Training (DOET), Lego Education and HTV3, the annual Robotacon competition brought together young engineers from across the country, pitting them against each other in challenging and educational robot contests.

For the aspiring engineers, the competition was a chance to develop their creativity and problem solving skills. On top of that, the winners would go on to represent Vietnam at the international World Robot Olympiad (WRO).

This year, on 26 and 27 August, RMIT Vietnam’s Saigon South campus proudly hosted the final for the first time.

Robotacon 2017 participants are preparing for their robot performance at RMIT Vietnam’s Recreation and Events Complex.

“Technology is and has always been the backbone of RMIT University,” said Hayrettin Arisoy, Technical & Administrative Services Manager of RMIT Vietnam’s School of Science & Technology.

Speaking about the University’s one-billion VND sponsorship of the national competition, Mr Arisoy added: “This sponsorship in Robotacon 2017 reflects the University’s commitment to supporting Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in Vietnam.”

(From left to right) Representatives from RMIT Vietnam, Lego Education and HTV3

The Robotacon 2017 final saw the participation of 574 students in 213 teams from all over Vietnam including Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Can Tho, Long An, Binh Duong, and Binh Phuoc.

Under WRO’s theme “Sustainabots: Robots for sustainability”, students competed in teams of two-or-three to design, assemble, and code robotic solutions for some of the world’s sustainable development issues using Lego’s Mindstorm EV3.

One challenge was to develop robots that can promote sustainable tourism and help scientists and visitors explore the wonders of nature without harming it.

Another challenge was to build robots to help balance carbon dioxide levels in industrial areas, and robots to build wind power plants for more environment-friendly energy sources.

“It is amazing to see students from all ages have so many fantastic robotic creations. The creativity and ingenuity of these talents is a sign that Vietnam’s future technologies will be produced by world-class engineers,” Mr Arisoy added.

Two robotic creations are getting ready for a Sumo match.

After two days of competition, four winning teams were named in four categories. Two teams from Le Hong Phong High School (Ho Chi Minh City) and one team each from Wellspring Bilingual School (Hanoi) and Tran Van On Secondary School (Ho Chi Minh City) will represent Vietnam at the WRO 2017 in Costa Rica this November and compete against participants from 60 other countries.

Last year, Vietnam broke through the worldwide competition to score third place in the Elementary Challenge category. With four strong teams this year, technology enthusiasts and robot fans are hopeful.

Story: Thanh Phuong