PENANG is all geared up to host the Grand Finale of Robomania Football 2025, set to take place tomorrow, bringing together 158 schools from across Malaysia.
The event is organised by Tech Dome Penang, in collaboration with the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI), Ministry of Education (MoE), and the state Education Department.
According to Tech Dome Penang chief executive officer Khoo Boo Wooi, nearly 700 participants representing both primary and secondary schools will compete in the competition.
Khoo said the event will feature two categories: the 16-Trialeague, a smaller category exclusively for Penang students, and the 16-Football Cup.
“Both categories will follow a 3-on-3 format, challenging participants to demonstrate their hands-on skills in navigating and operating the robots.
“In the 16-Trialeague, participants are provided with robots to accommodate schools that may not be able to build their own due to high costs.
“This category is exclusively for Penang school students, offering them a fun experience that could also inspire them to build robots in the future.
“Meanwhile, in the 16-Football Cup, participating schools are required to build their own robots, fostering creativity and innovation among students, while also needing to strategise their moves,” Khoo told Buletin Mutiara recently.
Khoo added that Robomania was first launched in 2019, while Robomania Football was introduced just last year, marking its debut as a national-level competition.
Apart from that, Khoo also shared that the competition does not separate participants by age group; instead, they compete together regardless of age.
“During preliminary rounds, there were instances where primary school students defeated secondary students.
“This year, we decided to hold the event outside the Tech Dome Penang premises, at Level 3 of Komtar, a public space that helps expose and promote the competition, making it an inclusive event for the community.
Tech Dome Penang’s senior education executive Munawwir Syazilli Ahmad Zaki said that a total of 85 teams from Penang are participating in the competition.
Story & Pix by Tanushalini Moroter
Event poster courtesy of Tech Dome Penang