Grade X Sharjah Boy Wins 3D Printing Olympiad
The top award in the second 3D Printing Olympiad competition went to a 15-year-old, Grade X student, from GEMS Millenium School – Sharjah. He developed a working model of a humanoid robot – almost complete with its torso and head.
Rishab Java's humanoid project was in the working for the past eight months. The humanoid whose legs and arms are still not ready was presented to the judges as a functional model that can be scaled up as per requirements.
The humanoid’s body was completely built using a 3D printer. “The only exceptions were the motors and the Microsoft Surface tablet that powers the system. I plan to self-design the robot’s arms and legs in the future,” said the 15-year-old student.
“The robot I have built is a cost-effective solution with a build cost of AED 1,800 including the tablet. Once the arms and legs are built, it could be about six feet tall. I have used open source software already available online to build the humanoid.”
150 entries were submitted from students of various schools across the UAE, of which 50 managed to reach the final round of the competition. This year’s competition saw participation in three different categories – elementary, junior high and high secondary school.
Another winner Mumukshya Baitharu from primary school segment presented an interesting concept where she had redesigned a chess board and replaced the chess pieces with prominent and historical towers within the UAE.
The other entries included an innovative wheelbase for a motor vehicle with six wheels and a 3D printed model of a recycle bin with multiple segregations including one for infectious waste.
The participants were judged by a panel of nine judges who based their decision on the uniqueness of the design, research and development process as presented, the value and potential impact of the design, and the ability to communicate or demonstrate the features.
2018 Olympiad will have a World prefix to it, thereby making it into a global competition and will be hosted by the UAE Ministry of Education in partnership with ATLAB.
