Deng Ennuo (L), Pan Xiyu and Zhao Ling’en (R) show their awards at the Teenager Robot Competition.  PROVIDED TO TEENS

A drone flies through two loops, circles three poles, hits a target and makes a smooth landing. These cool moves were all controlled by a program written by 14-year-old Pan Xiyu, from Pui Ching Middle School in Macao.

Pan was competing in the flying robot match of the 4th Teenager Robot Competition in the Guangdong-Macao in-depth cooperation zone in Hengqin, Zhuhai. It drew in 5,213 teenagers from the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and  overseas. 

As one of the 155 participating students from Macao, Pan won the junior group championship of the flying robot match. Her schoolmates Deng Ennuo and Zhao Ling’en, both 12 years old, won the first and second runner-ups respectively.

“The key to winning is about achieving a balance between being steady and going fast – the drone must not touch the obstacles while flying at a high speed,” explained Wu Zhenhua, the students’ tutor. 

“Obstacle avoidance, wind speed detection and route planning are all important factors to think about,” said Pan. The students developed these skills through the school’s science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) courses. With six 40-minute-long classes per week, the students have gained interdisciplinary training in STEM.

The students’ school has been communicating with schools from the Chinese mainland about their AI and robot training. Both being strong in robot and AI education, Pui Ching and Guangzhou No 2 High School became sister schools in 2021. They’ve held meetings, lectures and speeches.

Pui Ching is one of 279 schools in Hong Kong and Macao that, since 2021, has built sister-like relationships with those in Guangzhou, reported the CNR. Since the development plan of the GBA came out in 2019, the educational exchanges in the area have been increasing greatly. 

This competition was the first time Pan, Deng and Zhao took part in a Great Bay level contest. They all agree that it has broadened their horizons and will help them build a brighter future.                    
         
By GUI QIAN, 21st Century Teens