The FIRST Global challenge has gathered a talented set of students from around the world in the hope of tackling the global crisis with the application of robotics.
The Indian team is going to the Robot Olympics and in a first, the team comprising girls will be representing the country.
The team comprises five members, including their manager and mentor accompanying them. The team will be in Dubai, taking part in the challenge between October 24 – 27.
Aarushi Shah deals with robot design, construction and electricals in the team and Radhika Sekhsaria is responsible for fundraising and programming. Aayushi Nainan’s work is about outreach and programming. Jasmehar Kochhar is responsible for programming and strategizing and Lavanya Iyer focusses on robot construction and strategy.
In fact, all the five are teenagers with a passion for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). These Mumbai-based girls will be facing challenges against about 2,000 other students between the ages of 14 to 18, from 193 nations.
This year around, the theme for the First Global Challenge is “ocean opportunities”, which focuses on combating harmful ocean pollution that negatively impacts marine life and global populations.
The teams will have to find out a way to apply their ‘passion for robotics’ to build creations that can help fight ocean pollution.
The power girls add that they want to make STEM education and robotics more inclusive and which is why they have been touring schools in order to display the robot that they have built for the competition.
Their recent appearance with the robot came at the Acorn Foundation in Dharavi where they interacted with some of the girls from economically backward sections of the society discussing science and math.