year-old Saudi student, was ecstatic not only to have developed a humanoid robot but also to have won first prize at a ‘knock out competition' organized at the Robotic Division of Prince Salman Science Oasis (PSSO) in Riyadh last week. The humanoid robot that Essa has created has knocked out the challenging robots created by 24 other competitors who were all participants of the PSSO competition. At such a young age, Essa managed to develop an advances humanoid robot that set the bar extremely high for the competing participants: Essa's humanoid robot has sensors that could respond to touch, sound and light. Essa controlled the movements of his robot so effectively that it pushed all its competitors out of the ring, said Fazal Hadi, Program Manager, Robotics Division, PSSO. He said Essa, a student of Ibn Khaldoon School is nothing short of a genius, who has a great passion for robots. He said the knock out competition was held in four different sessions. The students that attended weekly workshops at PSSO for five consecutive weeks were encouraged to participate in the robotics competition. Each student that participated in the workshops was so excited to create robots of their choice, said Hadi. He said the students usually are amazed after watching the robots shows on television channels. “The Robotics Division teaches the students the skills of making robots in different sizes and shapes,” added Hadi. He said the workshops organized by PSSO proved to be a platform, where the young school students are not only offered hands-on experience but also enabled them to channel their creativity into something constructive. Essa is passionate about robotics. He was always fond of watching robotic shows on television. However, he could not attend any classes that taught him the skills on how to create robots. “My brother and I are ardent fans of robotics. But we could not know a place that fulfills our passion to learn more or rather indulge ourselves to be part of the scientific community,” said Essa. One day, he said the PSSO team visited his school and demonstrated the techniques of creating a robot. The PSSO demonstration ignited that spark which Essa already had and inspired him to know more about robotics. He said he and his brother decided to join the workshop organized by PSSO, a non-profit organization that targets young students to learn the techniques of business through its widely popular TREP$ program and organize workshops to train budding scientists in robotics. The students that attend weekly workshops at PSSO include all different nationalities from Arab and non-Arab communities studying at Saudi and other international schools. The number of students that attend each workshop would not be more than 15, said Hadi. He said each Robotics Program comprises of five workshops conducted on weekends with a two-hour duration. The students are taught skills that include programming, electronics, mechanical, movements and remote control. “The student will learn skills ranging from electronics, mechanics, movement controls, and programming and even as broad as understanding animal behavior and human psychology,” said Hadi. He said Lego Mindstorms NXT is a programmable robotics kit that helps train young students that have a passion for robotics and encouraged them to participate in school competitions. The students are also encouraged to get familiar with the kit at the first workshop. They then learn programming and connectivity. The program is designed in such a manner that not only does it encourage children to learn and implement science and technology, but also exposes them to the real world professions. “They learn professionalism and project management,” he said. The basic objective of the program is to inspire the scientific prowess among young minds, he said A number of students of various nationalities that attended the workshop had a hands-on experience at a PSSO science lab that helped them to create robots and other automated devices. The students that belonged to Saudi and international schools have demonstrated their scientific prowess by developing devices that worked as robots and other automated machines, he added. The students have impressed their parents by creating devices that everyone marveled. The students expressed that science and technology relating to computer-controlled mechanical devices, such as the automated tools commonly found on automobile assembly lines and other types of robotics, not only attracts them to learn more but also to create innovative things. PSSO provides the opportunity to build a sound foundation for their interest in robotics. “We avail this opportunity because the activity amazes us. It gives us the perfect base to start. We learn the theory and we do the practical part as well: we made our own robots which can walk, see and feel. Wow,” said Abdul Rehman Al-Omari, one of the participating Saudi students. “The program was presented to us at our school and the presentation was awesome. The top students were selected by the school for the program. The program manager at PSSO called us to give us the exact schedule,” he said. The last week was a lot of fun due to the real competition. “We hope for the continuation of this activity which prepares us for more enjoyable applications,” he said Ridwan Ibrahim father was amazed to see his son learn so much about developing humanoid robots. “It's an interesting activity for children. I was quite amazed to hear my kids telling me the whole story about the workshop,” the excited father said. “Referring to the robotics they ask me, ‘father did you know how it works and how that works,'” he said quoting his children. “I am very thankful to PSSO that they provide us with such an engaging activity, which spared my kids from their time-wasting habits such as being glued to the television.” PSSO Robotics is a revolutionary program that provides an inspirational learning environment for students 10 to 14 years old, wherein they practice what they learn in classrooms, combined with the latest technology. PSSO Robotics introduces the concept of playing with science to kids by setting an interactive environment for kids to build robots. PSSO Robotics utilizes the popular LEGO Mindstorms NXT Educational Robot kit to teach students science, technology, engineering and math curricula in a fun, engaging and hands
