I’m always impressed with the younger generation nowadays because of their creativity and logic when it comes to providing solution for the betterment of the environment using technology in the recent Brunei Robotics Olympiad 2015. Well, in this case, the students were using Lego Mindstorms (series of kits contain software and hardware to create customizable, programmable robots) to come up with possible solutions and tasks.

Last week, the competition among schools concluded and the winners were feted for their creativity and efforts. Sarah Abu Bakar, Acting Head of the Science, Technology and Environment Partnership (STEP) Centre, shared that there weren’t any outstanding solutions and still lacking that consistency and satisfactory level. However, overall there is an improvements as compared to last year’s entries.

For your information, one of the Brunei team made it to the Top 10 in last year’s World Robotic Olympiad 2014 in Sochi, Russia and I had a great experience, covering the event (Thanks Bluebox Services and STEP). Let’s hope for a similar feat or perhaps a better placing for this year’s WRO 2015 which will be held in Doha, Qatar.

A total of 177 students from 35 schools competed in the Regular Category, which required participants to build robots for challenges titled Pearl Diving, Treasure Hunt and Mountaineering. The competition was organised by the STEP Centre in collaboration with Bluebox Services and supported by Brunei Economic Development Board together with Sasbadi Holdings Bhd. The guest of honour was Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) Acting CEO Hjh Hasnah Hj Ibrahim.

I was also happy that St. Andrew’s School won in both categories that it participated in (Open category for Primary and Secondary) since it was my former school 😀 Even my friend Heidi is a proud parent as her daughter bagged first place.

The winner of Open category (Year 10 to Year 12) – Team Wise – St. Andrew’s School with Hjh Hasnah Hj Ibrahim, Acting CEO of Brunei Economic Development Board (2nd from right) and Sarah Abu Bakar, Acting Head of the Science, Technology and Environment Partnership (STEP) Centre (right)

2nd place of Open category (Year 10 to Year 12) – SAMSUA Technobot 2.1 – SM Sayyidina Umar Al-Khattab

3rd place of Open category (Year 10 to Year 12) – Unknown Paradox – SM Pg Isteri Hjh Mariam

The winner of Open category (Year 7 to Year 9) – The Oracle – Sekolah Menegah Berakas

2nd place of Open category (Year 10 to Year 12) – SAMSUA Technobot 2.0 – SM Sayyidina Umar Al-Khattab

3rd place of Open category (Year 10 to Year 12) – Robokids – Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Husin

The winner of Open category (Year 4 to Year 6) – YOLO – St. Andrew’s School

2nd place of Open category (Year 4 to Year 6) – Banaatal-Jazari – Sekolah Persedian Arab

3rd place of Open category (Year 4 to Year 6) – Nafaha Explorer – Sekolah Rendah Junjongan

Winner of the Pearl Diving Category (Primary School) – Srat Diver – Sekolah Rendah Ahmad Tajuddin

Creative award for Pearl Diving – Deceptikons the 7th – Sekolah Rendah Muhammad Alam, Seria

Winner of the Treasure Hunt Category – SMSB’s Huntress – Sekolah Menengah Sufri Bolkiah

Guest of honour inspecting the team from Yayasan School

A demo from Sekolah Menengah Berakas

A demo from SOAS student

Team W.I.S.E from St. Andrew’s School

Julian Fung, BEDB’s Assistant CEO and Head of Infrastructure Development with students from Sekolah Rendah Sengkurong

From Sekolah Rendah Muhammad Alam, Seria

From Sekolah Rendah Sungai Tali

Sarimah Abu Bakar, Acting Head of STEP (right) with the Brunei delegates who will participate in the World Robot Olympiad 2014 in Sochi, Russia, accompanied by teachers, a judge and an LO at the Brunei International Airport.

This is the 6th time that Brunei is participating in the World Robot Olympiad and this year, Sochi, Russia, will be hosting the competition. Our Brunei contingent will be competing in two categories and they will be represented by Sungai Tali Primary School and Sayyidina Umar Al-Khattab Secondary School.

How they were selected to represent Brunei was when they won this year’s Brunei Robotics Olympiad a few months ago. One of the winners was team SIERRA SIERRA, a group of students ( Naimatul Basirah binti Haji Aliuddin and Nur Amni Amanina binti Hj Narudin) from the Sungai Tali Primary School led by Ronny bin Puasa, their teacher. They developed Agrospace, a portable autonomous space farm that supplies food to astronauts, an alternative solution to costly food for space flights. Interesting!!

Sayyidina Umar Al-Khattab Secondary School will represent the Secondary level and they are represented by team SMSUA TECH-NOBOT. Their project is called Robotlifter. The students presenting are Nor Muthiah binti Esa, Izzah Haziqah binti Hj Chuchu and Ummi Nur Su’aidah binti Sufrain which are led by Radzuan bin Hj Chuchu, their teacher.

The delegation is led by Satinah binti Hj Abang, Student Officer of Science Technology and Environment Partnership (STEP) Centre. Also part of the delegation is Ameliana binti A. Embran (Vokasional Nakhoda Ragam School) who will be a judge in the World Robot Olympiad 2014.

Brunei has been participating in 6 WRO competitions (Singapore 2004, Thailand 2005, China 2006, Malaysia 2012, Indonesia 2013). So it’s pretty good to know that Brunei is participating for this year’s competition. This will give more exposure to Brunei Darussalam especially for the students as well as the opportunity for Brunei to host the WRO in the near future.

Families and friends dropped by the airport to send off the participants. Also sending them off is Sarimah Abu Bakar, Acting Head of STEP.

I’m quite fortunate to be tagged along for the competition as the official social media for their progress in Sochi, Russia. A big thank you to the Ministry of Education, Russian Embassy (for the visa) and of course, Faridah, for this golden opportunity.

I shall be posting more pictures on my instagram and we are currently in Dubai International Hotel (hotel transit) before departing to Moscow. We have an 8 hour wait though. Boohoo. More updates soon. Till then, have a great day!!

Prayers before taking off to the first leg of the trip

It has been a while since I have been on a Dreamliner 😀

Getting our boarding passes for Moscow and Sochi. Yay, we are flying on Emirates

I forgot his name but he was quite helpful and he works for the Brunei Embassy at Abu Dhabi

Our official jacket is green

It’s good to see parents coming down to support

Heading to our transit hotel

Radzuan coordinating with the students

The Dubai International Hotel we are bunking in for the next few hours before flying off

Back in September when team SIERRA SIERRA from Sungai Tali Primary School won in the primary category in the Brunei Robotics Olympiad. Image courtesy of The Brunei Times.