Formerly | International Robot Olympiad |
---|---|
Sport | Robotics-related games |
Founded | 1999 |
First season | 2004 |
Motto | To bring together young people all over the world to develop their creativity, design & problem solving skills through challenging & educational robot competitions and activities |
No. of teams | 28,000 (2019) |
Countries | See below |
Venue(s) | See Below |
Most titles | Unknown; possibly Taiwan, Malaysia or Thailand |
Qualification | By winning the national/state competition |
Related competitions | |
Official website | https://wro-association.org |
The World Robot Olympiad (WRO) is a global robotics competition for young people. The World Robot Olympiad competition uses Lego Mindstorms manufactured by LEGO Education. [1] First held in 2004 in Singapore, it now attracts more than 28,000 teams from more than 85 countries. [2]
The competition consists of 4 different categories: RoboMission, RoboSports, Future Innovators, Future Engineers. [3] and for the RoboMission and Future Innovators categories, it consists of three different age groups: Elementary, Junior High and Senior High. Participants below the age of 13 are considered as Elementary, participants from ages 11 until 15 years old are considered Junior High, and participants between 14 and 19 are considered Senior High.
WRO was formally established in 2003, with the first international WRO final organized in 2004. Organizations from China, Japan, Singapore and Korea are considered the founding countries. In 2004, teams from China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Russia, Singapore and Thailand took part in the first international final, held in Singapore.
In 2003, the four founding countries established the international WRO Committee (now known as the WRO Advisory Council), which decided to establish a new and permanent robotics organisation, based on the idea that students from all over the world should have the opportunity to meet with other students to fulfil the new mission statement:
"To bring together young people all over the world to develop their creativity, design & problem solving skills through challenging & educational robot competitions and activities"
The WRO Committee decided on the new name World Robot Olympiad, and new WRO logos were developed.
Finally the WRO statutes and a set of general rules were worked out to ensure a sound and safe future for WRO. One of the major decisions, which appears in the Statutes, was that the international WRO event should be hosted by a new country each year and the WRO Committee should elect a chairman.
In 2017, the host country of WRO was Costa Rica. This was the first time the competition was held outside the Asia Region and the first time it came to the Americas.
This article contains promotional content .(June 2018) |
At WRO, competitions are offered for everyone in the age from 8 – 19. WRO have four competition categories, with their own characteristics and challenges:
Each season the challenges and theme for the RoboMission and Future Innovators are developed with the country that hosts the International Final. The RoboSports rules and the Future Engineers Challenge game are designed together with experts in the robotic sciences community. [4]
RoboMission | Future Innovators | RoboSports | Future Engineers | |
Age | Elementary: 8-12 Junior: 11-15 Senior: 14-19 | Elementary: 8-12 Junior: 11-15 Senior: 14-19 | 11-19 | 14-19 |
Hardware | Only LEGO + HiTechnic color sensor | LEGO controlled + no restriction for other materials | Only LEGO + a camera module | no restrictions on material |
Software | Free choice | Free choice | Free choice | Free choice |
Maximum size | Max. 25 x 25 x 25 cm | Booth of 2 × 2 × 2 meters | Two robots, max. 20 x 20 x 20 cm | Max. 30 x 20 x 30 cm |
Characteristics | Surprise rule and assembly of the robot on competition day | It is so open that you can enjoy your creativity! | Assembly of the robots on the competition day. | |
At WRO since | 2004 | 2004 | 2022 | 2022 |
Teams must create a robot which can complete a specified mission determined by the organiser and usually based on the Future Innovators theme. Before the competition begins, the robot must be fully dismantled: for example, the batteries must be taken out of the brick or the tyres must be taken out from the wheels. It must be built in a specified time (150 minutes) before the first qualification round begins. If a team finishes building their robot before the 150 minutes finish, the team can practice on the competition fields. Each robot is restricted to be 25 × 25 × 25 cm (9.8 × 9.8 × 9.8 in) before the round begins, and may consist of only LEGO certified parts, with specified motors and sensors depending on each competition. It must finish the mission autonomously, within a maximum time of two minutes. Teams are judged on their scores. If two teams' scores are equal, they are judged by their time to the nearest millisecond. This category was called Regular category until 2021. [3]
Future Innovators is a project based competition. Students create their own intelligent robotics solution relating to the current theme of the season. Teams will present their project and their robot model to a group of judges on the competition day. This category was called Open category until 2021 [3]
WRO RoboSports is a competition where two teams each have two autonomous robots on the field playing a sports game. The two robots of one team may communicate with each other, but no further communication is allowed. The robot needs to be built from LEGO materials and a camera of their choice. The game changes every 3 or 4 years, the current game is Double Tennis.
WRO Future Engineers is a competition where each team has to engineer and solve real-world-problems. Teams can use any kind of material and controller for their robot. The game changes every 3 or 4 years, the current game is about autonomous driving.
WRO Football was introduced with teams of two autonomous robots playing football (soccer). Every year little changes were introduced for the game to motivate the students to keep on developing their robots. [5] In 2022 WRO Football was replaced by RoboSports. [3]
The Advanced Robotics Challenge (ARC) is the newest category. The games are designed to test older and more experienced student's engineering and programming skills to the limit. [6]
Teams compete on a set challenge. Robots may be pre-built and may use certain TETRIX and MATRIX elements. Teams may use either one MyRIO or KNR controller, or two EV3/NXT controllers; there are no restrictions on choice and number of sensors, motors and servos. The size of the robot before it begins must be within 45 × 45 × 45 cm (17.7 × 17.7 × 17.7 in). The maximum time differs depending on each competition.
In 2015 and 2016 it ran a Bowling game and in the 2017 season it was introduced the Tetrastack challenge.
As the missions of the RoboMission and RoboSports get tougher and more teams in the Future Innovators are willing to present more creative-looking robots, organisers have to make changes to the list of eligible sensors, motors and bricks to be used in the competition. Initially only RCX bricks, motors and sensors were allowed. In the 2007 competition NXT bricks, motors and sensors were allowed as well. In 2011 the NXT colour sensor was added; in 2012, the HiTechnic colour sensor. In 2013 an EV3 robot was exhibited that used all four motors. In 2014, however, EV3 bricks, motors and sensors were allowed, but the number of motor ports was limited to three, and the EV3 Gyro sensor was not allowed. The 2015 competition allowed four motor ports and the gyro sensor, but not RCX bricks, motors, or sensors.
There are also a few changes to the number of categories. The earlier versions of this competition, before 2006, consists of only Regular and Open and that further sub-divides to only two age groups, Primary and High School.
WRO has the ambition of being relevant to students of different ages. That is why it offers competitions on platforms that provide fun and challenging experiences.
It is also why it has decided two of the categories into three age groups. In the RoboMission, each age group has a different mission. In Future Innovators, the challenge is the same for all participants, but they are judged within their age group. [7]
Please note:
The mentioned ages reflect the age of the participant in the year of the competition, not at the competition day. For participation in the international WRO final it is strictly enforced that students cannot, at any time in the year of the competition, be older than specified in the age group definitions. Example: A participant that is still 12 years old at the time of the international WRO final in November, but turns 13 years old in December the same year cannot participate in Elementary Category.
Elementary | Participants 8 – 12 years old in the year of competition. |
Junior | Participants 11 – 15 years old in the year of competition. |
Senior | Participants 14 – 19 years old in the year of competition. |
Elementary | Participants 8 – 12 years old in the year of competition. |
Junior | Participants 11 – 15 years old in the year of competition. |
Senior | Participants 14 – 19 years old in the year of competition. |
Participants 11 – 19 years old in the year of competition. |
articipants 14 – 19 years old in the year of competition. |
Only teams that participated in a national competition in the ward one of our member countries can qualify for the international final. The WRO Table of Eligibility (TOE) defines how many teams a WRO National Organizer can register for the international final.
Teams at national level | Entries in Elementary | Entries in Junior | Entries in Senior |
5–99 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
100–299 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
300–599 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
600+ | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Teams at national level | Entries |
5–39 | 2 |
40–149 | 3 |
150+ | 4 |
Teams at national level | Entries |
5–39 | 1 |
40–149 | 2 |
150+ | 3 |
Teams at national level | Entries |
5–19 | 1 |
20–39 | 2 |
40+ | 3 |
Year | Host city | Host venue | Competition Theme | National Organiser | Description of Regular Category challenges | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2004 | Singapore | Downtown East Pasir Ris | Robots in Sports | Science Centre | ||
2005 | Bangkok, Thailand | Bangkok Science Center | Sensitive robots | Gammaco | ||
2006 | Nanning, China | Humanoid | Semia | |||
2007 | Taipei, Taiwan | National Taiwan University | Robot for Rescue | |||
2008 | Yokohama, Japan | Pacifico Yokohama | Saving the Global Environment | Afrel, WRO Japan | ||
2009 | Pohang, South Korea | Postech | Artistic Robots | For the elementary category, the robot has to shoot a ping-pong ball into an allocated cup. For the Junior High category, the robot must collect 100 ping-pong balls and bring it back to the base. For Senior High, the robot place coloured balls into a compartment depending on its colour. | ||
2010 | Manila, Philippines | SMX Convention Center | Robots promote tourism | Felta Multimedia | ||
2011 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre | Robots for life improvement | Abu Dhabi Education Council ADEC | For elementary, the robot has to solve a labyrinth while taking three ping-pong balls along the way. For Junior High, the robot has to climb a flight of stairs while trying carrying an egg. For Senior High, the robot has to place lego blocks into a certain area depending its size and colour. | |
2012 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Sunway Pyramid Convention Center | Robot Connecting People | Sasbadi Sdn Bhd | In the elementary category, the robot has to disposed a number of ping-pong balls depending on the colour of a square cell that it is on. In the junior High category, the robot has to move a series of cylinder over hurdles before sorting them out based on their colours. In Senior high, robots have to pick up a hollow brick and slot in on a coloured pole of the same colour. | |
2013 | Jakarta, Indonesia | Ecovention Hall | World Heritage | Mikroskil/Mikrobot | For Elementary, the robot has to sort out batik cubes by colour in a pattern. For Junior high, robots have to restore Borobudur by removing the stupas from 4 different relic statues and determine which one is broken (it is different as for having no minifigures placed on the statue and black in colour) which it has to bring to the finishing area. For Senior High, the robot has to pick up eggs of a Komodo dragon (represented by a red ball) and leave the other eggs alone (represented by a blue ball). | |
2014 | Sochi, Russia | Sochi Main Media Centre | Robots And Space | Association of Children's Goods Industry Enterprises | For Elementary, robots have to build a rocket with the colours of the Russian Flag (In order, white, blue and red). For Junior High, the robot has to pick up space debris (bricks) and failed satellites (balls (both red) and leave the working satellites (blue balls). For Senior High, the robot must activate solar panels (blue and red in colour) and replace the solar panels which are not working (red) with the good ones). | |
2015 | Doha, Qatar | Al Shaqab | Robot Explorers | For elementary, robots must push nine cubes and dispose a number of ping-pong balls depending on the cubes' colour. For Junior High, the robot must first scan a colour key to determine a location of an artefact (blocks) before it leading to one other artefact. There are five artefacts in total but there are some artefacts which the robot can't pick up. For senior high, the robots must place a block on top of a mountain depending on the mountain and the block's colour. | ||
2016 | New Delhi, India | India Expo Center | Rap the Scrap | India STEM Foundation | WRO India 2016 will engage students to Rap (talk) about waste – an important social issue. Students are expected to come up with innovative solutions using robotics technology to Rap the Scrap i.e. to reduce, manage and recycle waste! | |
2017 | San José, Costa Rica | Parque Viva | Sustainabots: Robots for sustainability | Aprender Haciendo S.A | Sustainabots are designed to care for the planet, the people and themselves. A Sustainabot is developed to change our world without affecting it, integrating the 3 pillars of Sustainability: Environmental, Social and Economical.The main themes are Sustainable Tourisms, Carbon Neutrality and Renewable and Clean Energy. The creation of sustainable robots can help us to have sustainable regions all around the world. They can help reach the Sustainable Development Goals. | |
2018 | Chiang Mai, Thailand | Food Matters | Thailand is the first country to host WRO twice. | |||
2019 | Győr, Hungary | Smart Cities | ||||
2020 | Quebec, Canada | Climate Squad | The event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, marking the first cancellation of a WRO event. | |||
2021 | Online | |||||
2022 | Dortmund, Germany | Westfalenhallen | My Robot My Friend | TECHNIK BEGEISTERT e.V. | ||
2023 | Panama | Panama Convention Center | Connecting the world | Fundesteam | ||
2024 | İzmir, Turkey | Fuar İzmir | Earth Allies [8] | Bilim Kahramanları Derneği | ||
2025 | Singapore [9] | Future of Robots | Space Faculty |
Previous host countries are italicised while future host countries are bolded. Countries which are both previous and future hosts will have an asterisks (*).
Country | First joined | Organiser | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Argentina | 2023 | Fundación Innovar / Fundesteam | http://wro-argentina.com.ar/ |
Armenia | 2014 | Ayb Educational Foundation | Competition Website Archived October 6, 2016, at the Wayback Machine |
Australia | 2011 | RoboCup Junior Australia | |
Bahrain | 2011 | https://www.amais.edu.bh/ | |
Bangladesh | 2020 | Bangladesh Open Source Network | Competition Website |
Belarus | 2014 | School of Robotics | |
Bolivia | 2009 | Centro de Tecnologia Aplicada | |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2020 | Univerzitet u Zenici | |
Brazil | 2014 | AMEducação | |
Brunei | 2012 | STEP Centre, Ministry of Education | |
Canada | 2014 | Robotique Zone 01 Robotics | |
Chile | 2019 | Fundacion Redes Creativas | Website |
China | 2004 | Semia | |
Taiwan / Chinese Taipei | 2004 | ESUN Robot Association in Taiwan | Both Chinese Taipei and Taiwan are used in this Olympiad although the name Chinese Taipei is officially used by the WRO committee. Both Chinese Taipei and Taiwanese flags are used during the competition but the Chinese Taipei flag is officially used. |
Costa Rica | 2009 | Aprender Haciendo Costa Rica S.A. | |
Croatia | 2019 | HROBOS | Website |
Denmark | 2006 | Dept. of Computer Science at Aarhus University/DITEK | Was previously organised by FIRST Scandinavia along with Sweden and Norway |
Egypt | 2007 | Searag | |
Germany | 2009 | Technik Begeistert e.V. | Competition Website |
Ghana | 2012 | Ghana Robotics Academy Foundation | |
Greece | 2009 | Knowledge Research SA | |
Hungary | 2015 | Edutus College | |
Honduras | 2017 | Honduras STEM Foundation | |
Hong Kong | 2004 | Semia | Organised by the Organiser of China as Hong Kong is part of China |
India | 2004 | India STEM Foundation (ISF) | Competition Website |
Indonesia | 2004 | Mikroskil/Mikrobot | |
Iran | 2006 | Global Brand Toys | |
Japan | 2004 | WRO Japan | |
Kazakhstan | 2014 | AEO "Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools" in partnership with Ministry of Education and Science | Competition Website |
Kuwait | 2011 | MILSET Regional office for Asia | |
Lebanon | 2009 | MindPower STEM consultancy | www.mindpowerlb.com |
Malaysia | 2004 | Sasbadi | |
Mexico | 2012 | Fundación Care and Share for Education, A.C./Edacom | www.wro.org.mx |
Mongolia | 2011 | MIND STORM | |
Nepal | 2018 | STEM Foundation Nepal | www.stemnepal.org |
Netherlands | 2018 | Stichting WRO Nederland | www.wro-nederland.nl |
New Zealand | 2022 | NZCILAB | Competition Website |
Nicaragua | 2017 | COMTECH | Competition Website |
Nigeria | 2011 | ARC Lights Limited | |
Norway | 2006 | FIRST Scandinavia | Despite having an organiser, Norway sent no teams to compete. |
Oman | 2010 | Edutech Middle East | |
Palestine | 2015 | ||
Panama | 2015 | Fundesteam | Competition Website |
Peru | 2009 | IEP W. von Braun SRL | |
Philippines | 2004 | Felta Multimedia | |
Qatar | 2007 | College of the North Atlantic | |
Romania | 2013 | Knowledge Research | |
Russia | 2004 | Innopolis University [ citation needed ] | |
Saudi Arabia | 2008 | Royal Commission Robot Club | Website |
South Africa | 2009 | Hands on Technologies | |
South Korea | 2004 | Advanced Learning Co. Ltd | |
Singapore | 2004 | Space Faculty | The Singapore Science Centre hosted the first Olympiad. In 2022, Science Centre Singapore announced that "WRO has decided not to continue SCS membership of the WRO from 2023 onwards". In 2023, Space Faculty was announced as the new National Organisers. |
Spain | 2013 | Fundació educaBOT | |
Sri Lanka | 2004 | See below. | |
Sweden | 2007 | FIRST Scandinavia | Stopped competing by 2009 |
Switzerland | 2013 | IngCH – Engineers Shape Our Future | |
Syria | 2011 | Syrian Computer Society SCS | |
Thailand | 2004 | Gammaco | Thailand is the first country to host the Olympiad twice. |
Tunisia | 2014 | IEEE Tunisia section | Competition Website |
Turkey | 2015 | Bilim Kahramanları Derneği | |
Ukraine | 2009 | Prolego | |
United Arab Emirates | 2006 | Abu Dhabi Education Council | |
United States of America | 2014 | US Engineering League | Competition Website |
Vietnam | 2013 |
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