Introduction
In the 2023 WRO season, Panama will host the international finals and we look at how robots can help connect the world in a sustainable way.
Since the completion of the Panama Canal, Panama has been a central point for global maritime logistics. 144 shipping routes cross the Panama Canal and connect 160 countries. Around 14,000 large ships use the canal every year. Panama is also becoming an important part of the global Internet cable network. Our daily use of digital technology is highly dependent on infrastructures such as submarine cables, data centers, satellites and mobile connections. Sustainability is becoming increasingly important in both the shipping and technology industries. Robots can help make both shipping and the digital technology infrastructure safer and more efficient.
In 2023, teams will learn about the importance of logistics, digital technologies, physical infrastructure and sustainability to our global connections in life and industry, and how robotic systems play a role in this.
Your robot mission
In the “Future Innovators” category, the teams have the task of developing a robot model that connects people and places in a sustainable way. The teams can choose one of the two areas (1, 2), but they can also work on a project that focuses on a combination of the two areas.
1. connecting over water
Seas, rivers and canals have been very important for the transportation of goods and people for thousands of years, and they still play an important role. This is an important reason why many cities are located near a sea or a river. Many of the things you find in the store were transported by water.
Shipping is efficient, but there are still many things that can be improved. Ships are getting bigger and bigger, and accidents can have serious consequences. Ships can also accidentally damage submarine cables or collide with offshore installations. Some ships still dispose of waste in the sea or rivers, which is difficult to track. Shipping lanes or locks in rivers can also have a negative impact on the underwater world. New technologies can help, and robots can play an important role in the future of shipping by taking over tasks that are normally done by humans or by improving processes.
We are looking for robotic solutions that help to make shipping more efficient, safer and more environmentally friendly.
2. connecting with information technology (IT)
We are using more and more digital technologies in our modern lives. We use our cell phones for social media and to watch videos online. Stores use automated data to know what they have sold and what they should order. You can even track ships and airplanes online and see where they are in the world.
All this data that we send and receive has to be transported worldwide. An extensive infrastructure is already in place. But this infrastructure must be constantly maintained and improved. There are also issues relating to the energy consumption of data centers and the impact on the environment. And there are areas where people still have no Internet access.
We are looking for robotic solutions that help establish and maintain a sustainable IT infrastructure around the world so that we can connect and communicate with each other.
For the sub-themes mentioned above (connecting through water and connecting with information technology), you can find inspiration in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
SDG#9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and SDG#14 (Life Below Water) are most obviously linked to the theme; however, there are other goals that support the theme, depending on your project idea: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/