Our Experience at the FIRST Robotics Competition
Two Form 3 SEGA Girls’ School Students, Nurath & Nailat, were selected to participate in the 2023 FIRST Global Challenge in Singapore this past October as members of Team Tanzania. We are excited for you to hear directly from them as they describe their experience taking part in this exciting opportunity.
SEGA Form 3 students Nailat (standing center) and Nurath (kneeling center) with Team Tanzania at the FIRST Global Robotics Challenge in Singapore
The name of the program is the FIRST Global Challenge held in Singapore in October 2023. The central theme of the competition was titled “Hydrogen Horizon”. We were learning about hydrogen as an issue of global importance to ensure more hydrogen production in the world as it has a lot of positive effects on our lives, and it does not lead to global warming like carbon dioxide. We were tasked with building a robot and navigating it through a simulated environment to produce hydrogen and then store, transport, and convert energy.
We were both interested in learning more about how to make robots that could solve various problems. For example, we can use robots to influence environmental conservation.
While preparing for the competition, we faced many challenges like transportation. This happened mainly in Dar es Salaam when we had to travel for the robotics team training. We had to work together with a team of Form 2 Tanzanian boys and girls from across the country to complete the robot and ensure it was accurate. Together we completed the robot after arriving in Singapore days before the competition. This experience was our first time making a robot as we did not even know it from SEGA. We are the first students from SEGA Girls’ School to participate in the FIRST Global Challenge as we do not have the robotics training at SEGA. This was a challenge because we had a hard time with every piece of equipment and its function since we had no previous experience.
Our robot had the following mechanisms: Collection mechanism, storing mechanism, transport mechanism, and lifting mechanism. The things collected, kept, and transported were hydrogen and oxygen balls mixed in the form of water as atoms.
Through our participation in the FIRST Global Challenge, we acquired different technologies and skills like robot making and programming. We also gained skills of using robots to solve various problems in our lives, like influencing environmental conservation and using robots in industries to replace human labor.
Nurath (left) and Nailat (right) with SEGA Headmistress Elly speaking on their experience at the robotics competition at a morning assembly at SEGA.
We benefited from participating in the FIRST Global Challenge because we got to experience making machines that can function like robots, and we now know how to make the robot machines. The competition opened our minds to the fact that we can do anything we wish, and that we have the facilities to make that thing which can be helpful in society and can influence technological advancement. Also, we now know that we can help in solving different problems through the use of robots. Finally, we now feel confident that we can connect to people around the globe and get to know about the issues happening in the world.
The knowledge and experience gained in Singapore can be applied to advance robotics education and innovation at SEGA. It can influence environmental conservation and prepare students' minds for high technological levels of advancement. The knowledge can be applied to replace human labor in various activities, e.g., in the laboratory when shifting apparatus from one place to another or for arranging books on shelves.
All in all, we would like to thank SEGA Management for their full support in our journey since it was spectacular!
- Nurath & Nailat