Students of the University of Ibadan (UI) have won the third edition of the Prof. Ayodele Awojobi Creative (PAAC) competition and the grand prize of N1million
The competition was organised by the Faculty of Engineering, UNILAG and held at the main auditorium of the school.
According to The Nation’s Campus Life, the winners, who called themselves Team HIVE, produced a robotic and artificial intelligence project to be used for learning in tertiary institutions.
Team WANTOPRINT of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) came second, winning N800,000, while team iGLASS of the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria came third with N700,000 cash reward.
Similarly, Team LETMESEE and Team FARMASS, both of UNILAG and UI respectively, came fourth and fifth, claiming the consolation prizes for their efforts.
Over 23 government and private higher institutions in Nigeria were represented in the creative competition, with over 100 entries submitted. However, only five institutions made it to the grand finale.
Leader of the five-member Team HIVE, Erinoluwa Morenikeji, said the device intends to create a conducive environment for students to work, learn and build a network.
Erinoluwa said: “Hive is an elite African robotics and artificial intelligence society that leverages the skills of adequately talented university students to build a society of incredibly adept engineers that are ready to contribute innovatively and dynamically to the advancement of the rapidly evolving fields of robotics and artificial intelligence.
He continued:”We want to create an enabling environment for university students to co-work, co-learn and co-build so that when they invade the global work space, they are a sum total of the skills of other ‘Hivers’ with which they have actively collaborated.
“The device is also meant to spark the flame of innovation in the hearts and minds of the next generation of Nigerian roboticists and engineers by organising and facilitating bootcamps and or initiating the infusion of robotics into the present curricula of secondary and primary schools.
Among other things, Erinoluwa noted that the innovation would Influence the Nigerian technological space, as well as gear it up for the next phase of technological advancement.
Speaking on the challenges they faced, he recalled how two robots pitched for the contest suddenly stopped working a day before the presentation; yet they were able to fix them hours ahead of the programme.
