ISLAMABAD: Hundreds of foreign enthusiasts are attending a robot contest in China’s Henan province that offers insights into artificial intelligence and technological development around the world, with Pakistani participants describing it as a “great opportunity.”
The 2024 World Robot Contest (WRC), running from January 16 to 21 in Zhengzhou city, is being attended by robot enthusiasts from countries like China, the United States (US), Pakistan and Germany.
The competition covers more than 20 major events, 50 minor events and 100 competition groups, providing a broad competitive stage for robot enthusiasts from around the world.
Hira Syed, a Pakistani leading a team of foreign participants, said this was the first time they were participating in such a competition and it offered valuable insight into the world of technology.
“As the world is growing in technology and AI, I think it’s a great opportunity for all our students to come here and see what’s going on around the world,” she told Reuters.
“We need to understand the importance of technology.”
Syed said they had their hands on the robots and the controllers in the competition.
“I think they’re doing fantastic,” she said. “I think after the competition, when we are relaxed, we’ll go and interact with them.　I think it’s going to be great.”
Hosted by the Chinese Institute of Electronics, the World Robot Contest has attracted over 100,000 contestants from more than 20 countries since 2015, according to the WRC website. It is widely acclaimed as the “Olympic Games” in the robotics field.
The event consists of two major competitions: Brain-Computer Interface or BCI Brain-controlled Robot Competition, and Youth Robot Design Competition.
“Basically, I attended this robotics event because it was the first time, I attended an event concerning technology and sciences,” said Gabriel Barakeel, a participant from Cameroon.　
“I learned new things in maths and computer science by looking at all the projects around different robots, different students manipulating different robots. It really fascinated me. I learned a lot of things about robots, and I think I’ll search of even more things at home.”