On Friday, November 29, 13 students from USAP Community School, USAP Code Crusaders, attended the prestigious Robotics for Good Championship held at the Harare Institute of Technology (HIT). The event, organized by the E-Lab Robotics Club, brought together young innovators to showcase how robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to address real-world challenges. With a packed program and a host of inspiring speakers, the day was as educational as it was thrilling.
The opening ceremony set the tone for the day, with remarks from Engineer Gondo of HIT encouraging students to “fail forward” and embrace challenges as learning opportunities. Larry from the US Embassy reminded attendees of the importance of staying ahead in the AI revolution, while Tendai Chikote from Nyaradzo Group emphasized that technology is transforming the workforce, making global competition a reality for Zimbabwean innovators. These powerful messages inspired the participants to dream big and engage fully in the competition.
The championship featured several activities, including building and programming robots, drone shows, and the Nyaradzo AI Challenge. USAP Community School students particularly enjoyed the hands-on robot-building sessions, where they worked with Q-Scout and Cavalier robots to complete tasks like line-following and obstacle avoidance. Their teamwork and innovation were on full display during the AI challenge, which called for the development of a service robot to support Nyaradzo Life Assurance Company. The challenge required designing a robot capable of assisting customers with tasks such as viewing policy details, making payments, and accessing general company information. They created an AI chatbot for Nyaradzo, Nyarie, which is user-friendly and more accessible. Our students impressed the judges with their innovative approach and technical expertise, securing the top spot and earning a trophy with three MacBooks, generously provided by Nyaradzo Life Assurance Company. They are going to implement the solution and build a humanoid robot in collaboration with E-lab Robotics.
We are especially grateful to E-Lab Robotics for sponsoring our participation, allowing us to attend this impactful event at no cost. As the event concluded with the vote of thanks and other trophy presentations, our students celebrated their achievements and reflected on the theme, Robotics for Good. Events like these do not only prepare students to innovate but they also inspire them to use technology to address pressing global challenges.
