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Both
high-school and elementary students from Grace Christian
High School (GCHS) in Quezon City won top and excellence
awards in the open-category competitions at the third
World Robot Olympiad (WRO) on November 17 and 18 in
Taipei, Taiwan.
The
Filipino students bested more than 800 students and 170
teams from around the globe.
The teams
in the open category presented their robot designs
assembled with Lego plastic bricks and controllers with
light, sound and temperature sensors in the gymnasium of
National
Taiwan University.
THE Operation Security
Guarantee community protected with nine prototype robots
to guard its “residents” won the top award for Grace
Christian High School students in Quezon City in the
recent World Robot Olympiad in Taipei. -- L.
FRANCISCO
The young
creative inventors showcased their winning pieces at the
SM Mall of Asia’s (MOA)
Science Discovery Center
on Saturday, which left the audience in astonishment.
The theme
“Civil Safety, Security and Emergency Response” led
high-school students Bryan Lao, Alyssa Sheena Tan and Mark
Ian Tan to create their winning entry, Operation Security
Guarantee (OSG)—a whiz community built and protected with
nine prototype robots to guard its “residents” from
hazardous incidents and terrorist attacks.
“Once a
fake swipe card is attempted for forced entry into the
village, the ‘gatekeeper’ responsible for analyzing
personal information will seek the assistance of a
Policebot to immediately seize the bad guy and put him in
the precinct for investigation,” demonstrates Mark Tan.
Inside the
“police station” is a Policebot 104 that will file all
necessary information to further analyze by the
gatekeeper. Suspicious objects inside the premises have
zero chance of harming Goodbot 107 (citizen of the whiz
community) as Spybot 101 roams around for inspection.
For fast
and safe mode of transportation, civilians may use the
Tren and PRT (Philippine Robo Transit) Elevator.
Firefighter Firebot 103 is also on alert when it senses
heavy smoke or gasses.
“This
project [OSG] is inspired by the 9/11 bombing attack at
the World Trade Center, New York City,” says Sheena Tan.
True to
their inspiration, the group proved how secure the
buildings are through its prebuilt sensors. They created a
miniature aircraft aimed at the minuscule hydraulic
Taipei 101. Before the aircraft reached the world’s tallest
completed skyscraper, the building raised itself.
Primary
students of GCHS, composed of Paolo Carlo Calalang,
Genesis Toh and Jenelle Dominique Gococo, proved on a par
with their senior counterparts as an excellence award was
given to them in recognition of their Haven’s Resort—a
Philippine tourist-leisure place which ensures safety of
visitors through 24/7 monitoring of its emergency defense
team.
The little
geniuses were inspired by the country’s promotion of
tourist destinations known as WOW
Philippines.
The idea
of the project is to erase the hesitation of visiting an
attraction due to fear of bombings, kidnappings and even
natural catastrophes like tidal waves and tsunamis,
according to Calalang.
The resort
is packed with 11 robots programmed in distinctive
characteristics and functions.
IB Team
poses as inspector robots which secure the identity and
baggage of visitors entering Haven’s. Richie-NXT is the
resort guest from America who is serenaded by Pangkat
Robotico, a Filipino band that plays guitar while
welcoming visitors.
Spycam Bot
1 and roving bot R1 record the entire activities in the
resort with their prebuilt camera and roam around the
vicinity to ensure every guest’s security.
Richie-NXT
has an abduction threat by an enemy boat Abuniga to gain
political figure. The telescoper robot can easily identify
this peril as it surveys far distances accompanied by a
Tri-shooter that shoots foreign object. Seafaring bot SF6
is also ready to back up and rover the sea area if the
adversary comes close.
Another
task of the telescoper is to guard the guest on shores for
tsunamis; as soon as this natural disaster is identified,
firebot FT4 will blow emergency fires for people to
evacuate the shorelines. The entire resort will then be
equipped with hydraulic walls to prevent devastation from
the strong waves.
Drowning
is never a problem at sea. BB3LS5 the lifesaver bot
instantly rescues anyone in danger. In addition to its
defense mechanism, it can also dispose suspected bombs to
a secure place.
The two
winning teams triumphed under the supervision of their
coach, Melanie Tizon. The prestigious WRO was established
in 2004 by the WRO committee to promote innovation and
education around the world.
Today,
robotics is integrated in the curricula of public and
private schools in the country. Lego robotic sets are the
main components in facilitating and teaching general
science and physics to more than 300 schools.
Owing to
robotics’ popular demand, its workshops were made
available to public at the Lego Mindstorms Robotics Center
(LMC) in MOA, the second in Asia after Singapore.
“LMC is
beneficial to youngsters interested in robotics. The
simulation of nanotechnology is best understood and
simplified with user-friendly built-in programs they can
create,” Gilbert Zamora, LMC trainer, told BusinessMirror. | 
