Beijing Institute of Technology among top winners of inaugural Mohamed bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge

WAM -- Winners of the inaugural Mohamed bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge (MBZIRC), were awarded today by H.H. Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, in a ceremony held at Yas Marina at the conclusion of the three-day competition.

The University of Bonn scooped up the biggest prize of US$1 million after winning in the grand challenge category. It also came in first place in the second challenge.

The Beijing Institute of Technology team came first in the first challenge category, while the combined teams of Czech Technical University in Prague, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Lincoln won first place in the competition’s third challenge.

Twenty-six teams from 15 countries competed for the total prize and team sponsorship of $5 million.

President of Khalifa University, Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive Vice President of Khalifa University, and Vice Chair of the higher organising committee, praised His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, for his generous patronage of the competition.

Dr. Mohammed Al Mu’alla, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Education for Academic Affairs of Higher Education and chair of the event’s organising committee, noted that the challenge highlighted the vital role of robots in providing solutions to contemporary problems and encouraging more students to get involved in the fields of technology and artificial intelligence to contribute to the fulfilment of the UAE Vision 2021 and the shift to a knowledge and innovation-based economy.

Ministers and senior officials attended the awarding ceremony.

The MBZIRC is organised every two years to test the skills of some of the best robot designers and programmers in the world. The inaugural event was supported by the Information and Communication Technology Fund (ICTF), Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), and Norinco.