Turkish students win 1st prize at global robot contest

A group of Turkish students has scored first prize in an international robotics tournament in Estonia.

Six primary and middle school students from Istanbul's Kadıköy Science and Art Center were world champions at the three-day Robotex International contest, which ended on Dec. 1 in Tallinn, Estonia's capital.

The students fielded two different teams and captured first and second places in the category called Makeblock Line Following, said school officials.

In the Makeblock category, students must build and program a robot that can drive through a track as fast as possible while avoiding obstacles, and complete various challenges while following the track from start to finish.

In the Makeblock category, Turkish teams beat their rivals from Russia, China, South Korea, Italy, and Estonia, including members who were older than the Turkish teams.

The students also won the Innovation award in the Insplay Robo League category.

The Turkish team earned the right to represent Turkey abroad after winning the Turkish national tournament. Last year the team came in second in competition in Denmark.

Robotex International is a festival that hosts robotics competitions with challenges available for people across all technical levels and ages.