Star Metro - Big dreams for Palestinian teens at Singapore robot fest

The 15-year-old high school student from Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank said she dreams of making "something big, so the world can know that the one who did this is Palestinian".

Together with the rest of the Palestinian delegation, she made the journey from the West Bank via Jordan and Dubai to attend the three-day global robotic tournament in Singapore that ended on Friday.

More than 1,500 competitors from over 90 countries and territories gathered in the Southeast Asian city for the event, aimed at harnessing the innovative spirit of the world's youth to find solutions for pressing challenges.

Malaysia stamped its class in the tournament, winning a third of the contested medals in various categories, according to an AFP tally.

Hong Kong, Costa Rica, Canada and the Philippines were also among the first-place awardees.

For the Palestinian students, who left without a medal, it was important to represent their nation on the global stage.

Palestinian delegations have attended World Robot Olympiads since 2014, but the Israel-Hamas war meant they did not send representatives at all to the 2023 edition in Panama, and since then, no participants from the Gaza Strip -- only the West Bank.

- 'Palestinians can' -

Competing in the Future Innovators senior category, this year's Palestinian delegation created a robot that can be used to boost agriculture production.

The "Agribot", supported by artificial intelligence technology, works by measuring six key soil parameters like moisture, acidity and nutrients using sensors.

It takes precise readings with its mechanical arm, and the analysis can help farmers increase yield and reduce waste.

The students now aim to make it easily available to farmers who mostly rely on traditional methods, said Razan.

Jehad Abudayyeh, 16, said that agriculture "is so important in our country... because it's a way of life. I'm very happy that my project will help them."

Team member Mustafa Ali, who is also 16 and hopes to become an IT engineer, dreams of a more conducive environment for technology to thrive.

"I hope my country will be safer and the war ends," he said.

Razan hopes to shine a light on other aspects of Palestinian life apart from conflict.

"We want to show the world that we are not just under war, that we can... stand here and show people and the world that we can do this, we can be in this competition," she said.

"We made our project, we're proud of it," she added.

"Palestine has students who aim to be better, and show the world that Palestinians can."

K.Morrison--SMC