11 Years of Autonomous Driving

The Technion held the final round of the 11th Nadav Shoham Robotraffic competition. Hundreds of high school students from 10 different countries took part this year in a virtual format, and the final stage concluded five consecutive days of competition. 

This year, the participating schools received instructions in advance, and each of them showcased their model car in a live, online performance. The main advantage of the virtual format was the number of schools it enabled to participate and their diverse geographical distribution; some schools were participating for the first time in such a competition. In total, this year’s competition included about 50 teams, including 12 from Russia, 6 from China, and teams from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Taiwan, the USA, Ukraine, Vietnam, and Israel.

The competition had five categories, two of which were shown live during the week. The team that won first place in the Careful Driving Category received a scholarship for a full year’s tuition at the Technion.  Additional prizes for the winners of the competition were donated by Nvidia.  

Technion Senior Executive Vice President, Professor Oded Rabinovitch, told the students that “robots have become an integral part of our lives in recent years and we all encounter them in school, at work and in our leisure time. Their presence will only increase in the years to come, and the current competition gives you a taste of the diverse and unique world of robotics and an understanding of the importance of the mathematical and scientific fundamentals in solving engineering challenges. If you understand this, you have won, no matter the results of the competition.”

The competition was led by the Head of the Leumi Robotics Center Professor Moshe Shoham, together with the Director of the Center Dr. Evgeny Korchnoy. Over the past year, Technion International also become involved through the International School of Engineering.

“The past year has emphasized the necessity of autonomous robots in protecting medical teams, the brave fighters at the forefront of the fight against coronavirus, but also in many other contexts,” said Prof. Shoham. “We are happy to hold this competition every year, bringing high school students closer to the world of robotics and allowing them to experience some of the enormous potential inherent in this field.”

“Organizing this year’s competition obliged everyone to put in a lot of effort due to time differences and of course because of the pandemic and lockdowns, which made it difficult to prepare in groups,” added Dr. Korchnoy. “We are pleased to note that the proportion of female students in the competition is growing, and we have a few groups of female-only students. “

Robotraffic 2021

The Robotraffic Competition, which was held for the first time in January 2010, is intended to foster interest in science and technology by developing autonomous vehicles able to drive in an urban environment according to traffic laws. In preparation for the competition, the students learned about robotics, driving laws and road safety rules, and acquired “real world” skills, including leadership, initiative, and teamwork. The competition is a joint project of the Leumi Robotics Center at the Technion, World ORT – Kadima Mada, and the World Zionist Organization in collaboration with YTEK, Nvidia and IBS, and supported by Bank Leumi.

Winners of the competitions are as below:

Category A: Careful Driving

1. “Career Planning Center” Tomsk (Team-2) Russia
2. “Career Planning Center” Tomsk (Team-1) Russia
3. ORT Argentina (Team-2)

Category B: Racing

1. Hlukhiv Centre of Extra Education, Ukraine
2. ORT Argentina (Team-2)
3. Kansk College of Technology, Russia

Category C: Reverse Parking

1. Kansk College of Technology, Russia
2. ORT Specialized School #41, Chernivtsi, Ukraine
3. Hlukhiv Centre of Extra Education, Ukraine

Category D: Traffic Safety Initiatives

1. ORT Kiev NVK-141, Ukraine
2. Frankel Jewish Academy, Detroit, USA and Hlukhiv Center of Extra Education, Ukraine
3.  ORT Argentina

Category E: Learning car structure with 3D CAD

1. ORT Specialized School #41, Chernivtsi, Ukraine
2. Hlukhiv Centre of Extra Education, Ukraine
3. ORT “Alef” Jewish Gymnasium, Zaporozhye, Ukraine

Award: Striving for Excellence in Robotics Studies 

1. Suzhou No.10 High School of Jiangsu Province, China
2. Taicang Walton Foreign Language School, China
3. Mingde Senior High School, China
4. ORT Tekhiya School 1311, Moscow, Russia
5. Centro Paula Souza, São Paulo, Brazil
6. ORT Mexico
7. Peterson School, Mexico
8. Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
9. Taipei Private Tsai Hsing High School, Taiwan
10. Misgav High School, Israel

NVIDIA Prize

“Career Planning Center”, Tomsk (Team1 and Team 2), Russia