ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 25th Feb, 2020) The US$5 million biennial international robotics competition, the Mohamed bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge 2020, MBZIRC, concluded today in Abu Dhabi.
Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Chairman of Department of Community Development, honoured the Grand Challenge team winners, Czech Technical University-University of Pennsylvania-NYU team, and the winners of the three challenge categories, Challenges 1, 2, and 3 at the ceremony that was attended by Awaidha Murshed Al Marar, Chairman of the Department of Energy.
While the Czech Technical University-University of Pennsylvania-NYU team won the first position in the Grand Challenge, the University of Bonn team came second, while the combined team of Universidad Politecnica Madrid-Universidad Pablo Olavide-Poznan University of Technology- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique won third place.
The Beijing Institute of Technology topped the Challenge 1 category, with the Czech Technical University-University of Pennsylvania-NYU team and the University of Tokyo in the second and third places, respectively. The Czech Technical University-University of Pennsylvania-NYU team won the Challenge 2 category, with Nimbro (University of Bonn) and Technical University of Denmark in the second and third places.
Challenge 3 was won by the University of Seville-Tecnico Lisboa-CATEC team, while the Technical University of Denmark and the University of New South Wales-Sydney tied for the second place.
The 32 participating teams, representing 17 countries, were shortlisted as finalists out of a total of 134 teams from across the globe that applied to compete in the MBZIRC 2020.
Also present on the occasion were Hussein bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Steering Committee General Chair, MBZIRC 2020; Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Steering Committee General Co-Chair, and Dr. Mohammed Al Mualla, Steering Committee Member.
Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi said, "The second edition of MBZIRC has emphatically placed the MBZIRC as one of the most prestigious competitions in robotics and Artificial Intelligence globally, while positioning Khalifa University as the leading higher education institution driving innovation in all areas of science, engineering, and newly-emerging technologies."
He added, "Through this challenge, we have witnessed how technology continues to evolve and we firmly believe the advancements demonstrated by these UAVs and UGVs will very soon become part of our everyday lives."
Others who attended the ceremony at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, ADNEC, included representatives of MBZIRC 2020 sponsors, high-ranking UAE government officials, challenge partners, stakeholders from the academia, research, industry and government sectors, as well as all the MBZIRC 2020 participating team members.
A two-day MBZIRC Symposium begins on 26th February at the ADNEC. The MBZIRC teams will be given the opportunity to showcase their projects directly to industry representatives, in order to further increase interest and raise awareness, while facilitating opportunities for research collaborations.
