Israeli students win 2nd prize at international robotics contest

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JTA – A group of Israeli high school students came in second place at an international robotics competition in Shanghai, China.

The students were granted an Inspiration Award in the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology Robotics Competition, or FRC, which included 57 teams from Israel, the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil and China, according to the Friends of Israel Sci-Tech Schools.

In the competition, which concluded earlier this month, students had to build robots to complete various tasks, such as balancing on a beam and scoring balls into goals.

The Israeli team consisted of 29 students from a science and technology high school in the northern city of Binyamina.

Students at the Binyamina high school have been participating in FRC since 2005 and have won awards every year, said Zvi Peleg, director general of the Israel Sci-Tech Schools Network.

“There’s no better proof than that to the talents and skills of our students, which places them and our schools among the best technology schools in the world,” he said.

Segev Huly, a member of the team, said it was a “great honor” to participate in the event.

“We see our participation and win as a big step toward promoting the field of robotics in China, and placing Israel as one of the world’s leading powers in technology,” he said.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin sent the students a letter of commendation on their efforts.