From watching cartoon robots to building actual robots

• Group of Moroccan teenagers joins hands to use robotics to help clean common litter found along sea shores

Dubai-UAE:– From watching their favorite action robot cartoon characters saving the world to assembling DIY furniture by brands such as IKEA at home with family, these kids from Morocco always had an inkling that their passion for robots and building would align. They never imagined though that their efforts would potentially help the world move a few steps closer to achieving cleaner oceans for all.

Meet Team Morocco, all between the ages of 17and 18, representing their country in the FIRST Global Challenge 2019 in Dubai, organized by Dubai Future Foundation, from October 25to 27. Under the event’s ‘Ocean Opportunities’ theme, these teenagers are doing their part to combat ocean pollution using robotics and artificial intelligence.

The team’s solution at the Challenge is to clean the ocean using robots that are capable of picking up litter - small and large - and disposing of it in garbage bins in a simple and efficient manner.

“Our robot is able to maneuver its way across unsteady surfaces such as beaches for example, to pick up smaller rubbish, including chocolate wrappers, cans, plastic bottles – 15 to 20 at a time, to be lifted to a height of approximately 70cm that can be disposed of conveniently,” said 17-year-old Yassmine Lahlou, the team’s spokesperson.

Joining over 1,500 youth participants from 191 countries, the event offered a momentous opportunity for the young group of four Moroccan visionaries to showcase their hard work. “We spent a lot of time travelling to meet one another for this project as we all study in different schools across Morocco. However, coming together for a cause that is so much more than all of us, is really what kept us going. Three months of grueling work later, we’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together.”

With sustainability being an integral aspect of why they do what they do, the youngsters were inspired by the resilience of the human spirit to survive and thrive under pressure. Lahlou said: “With a little help from robots and artificial intelligence, we believe that humans today can actually resolve the issue of ocean pollution. Robots can’t solve world peace but they can definitely make an impact in battling ocean pollution.”

These teenagers are convinced that the solution to the world ocean pollution challenge is to build robots that can effectively and efficiently literally clean up “our act”.

“We have a fantastic team over here, no doubt. However, the technology used to make our robots is not groundbreaking or revolutionary. It is relatively simple and follows many of the key principles of robotics found in multiple other projects. We believe coming together collectively to clean up the oceans in the little ways we can, is definitely a responsibility we owe humankind,” Lahlou reflected.

Team Morroco now looks forward to a world where robots can be utilized to clean up the ocean pollution created by humans. Rather fittingly perhaps, given their enduring love for those cartoon robot characters, they are all set to help robots save the day.

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About Dubai Future Foundation

Established in 2016 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai Future Foundation plays a pivotal role in envisioning and shaping the future of Dubai in collaboration with government and private sector entities from various industries.

The Foundation is mandated to position Dubai as a hub for innovation and a leading city of the future. Its strategic business units comprise Future Foresight, Thought Leadership and Capacity Building, Knowledge Sharing, Prototyping and Accelerating, and Future Experiences.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, once said: “The future is not built on possibilities and numbers but on clarity of vision, planning, action and implementation.” This quote outlines a far-sighted approach for the Foundation that places future readiness at the core of its operations.

About the FIRST Global Challenge

The FIRST Global Challenge invites all nations to send their teams to compete in its robotics Olympics that take place in a different country every year, themed around the greatest challenges facing our planet, including the 14 Grand Challenges of Engineering identified by the US National Academy of Engineering. Each year, a different challenge takes center stage in a bid to foster understanding and cooperation among young people as they use their abilities to solve the world’s problems. The issues facing global society need to be solved, and the next generation can fulfill the task – together.

© Press Release 2019