The Shanxi round of the 2019 collegiate robot competition of five provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in North China was held in Taiyuan in Shanxi province, on Oct 19, according to the organizers.  

More than 860 students from 21 universities and colleges – including Shanxi University and Taiyuan University of Technology – competed at the Taiyuan Institute of Technology. 

Organizers said the cyber games broadened the horizons of students and enhanced their abilities to handle unexpected situations. 

All kinds of robots – including those dancing to the music, writing Chinese characters with brushes and detecting pipes in water – showed off their artificial intelligence on the stage. 

Since its launch in 2013, the collegiate robot competition of five provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in North China has created a strong atmosphere for science exploration and competition for college students. 

Yang Shuping, dean of the Taiyuan Institute of Technology, said that the current robotics industry had ushered in a golden period of development and needed more and better young talent to devote themselves to it. 

Others said the competition was a platform for college students to learn and improve. 

"This year's event attracted 209 teams, a growth of 65 percent compared with that of last year, and the numbers of participants also increased to 860, up 72 percent, " said Li Jinbi, director of the higher education department of the Shanxi Provincial Department of Education. 

He added that the event had helped the popularization and development of robotics, as well as innovation and entrepreneurship education reform in colleges and universities.

In addition, it had played an important role in promoting robotics and related industries, laying a solid foundation for cultivating future robotics experts and engineers, he added.

Some of the winners of the Shanxi division will go on to take part in the finals to be held on Nov 15-17, the organizers said.

Entries test their robots at the Shanxi round of the 2019 collegiate robot competition of five provinces, municipalities and autonomous region in North China, on Oct 19. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]

A robot shoots for goal, at the Shanxi round of the 2019 collegiate robot competition of five provinces, municipalities and autonomous region in North China in Taiyuan, on Oct 19. [Photo/Shanxi Daily]