A dozen UAE robots are preparing to do battle in the Philippines this weekend as part of the World Robot Olympiad International Finals.
Students from across the country toiled through the year to create the ultimate robotic fighting machine, and the top 12 teams were selected at the UAE Robot Olympics at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre on September 29.
A delegation from the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) is accompanying the students, who come from six private and six public schools, to Manila.
"We are very proud of the hard work and success of our students who have been accepted to participate in this event," Mugheer Al Khaili, the director general of Adec, said. "Adec has embraced robotics as a fun way to interest students in the fields that are vital to the future of Abu Dhabi.."
Al Ain will send teams from Khalifa bin Zayed School, Al Salah School for Boys and Al Ghaith Boys School. Abu Dhabi will be represented by two teams from Al Mutanabbi Boys School and a team from Al Fateh Girls School.
Six teams from private schools sponsored by Gems education will compete, including Dubai's Our Own Boys School, Al Warqa'a.
Students prepared for the event by assembling and programming their robots to complete a set of missions during the competition.
There will also be one surprise rule that teams will be given this weekend to judge their ability to adapt.
The World Robot Olympiad was first held in 2004, and the UAE sent two teams to compete in 2008.
"We have been committed to actively training and building capacity of our UAE teams through workshops, training of both students and teachers, and distribution of robotic kits to schools," said Kerry Bailey, special advisor on school operations for Adec.
Next year, the international finals will be held in Abu Dhabi.
newsdesk@thenational.ae
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Los Angeles, from Dh4,975 return, including taxes. The flight time is 16 hours. Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Aeromexico and Southwest all fly direct from Los Angeles to San Jose del Cabo from Dh1,243 return, including taxes. The flight time is two-and-a-half hours.
The trip
Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic’s eight-day Whales Wilderness itinerary costs from US$6,190 (Dh22,736) per person, twin share, including meals, accommodation and excursions, with departures in March and April 2018.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950