Computational intelligence company Altair has launched the 2024–25 Altair Global Student Contest, which is designed to showcase how students can use Altair software to create innovations in robotics and mechatronics. The contest will award nearly US$30,000 in cash prizes.
‘This year’s Global Student Contest places a special emphasis on robotics thanks to Altair’s extensive collaboration with FIRST over several years,’ said Jim Ryan, vice president of global academic programmes at Altair. ‘Our comprehensive technology offering is perfect for students of all levels, giving them the means to bolster their portfolio, sharpen their skill sets, collaborate more effectively and become real-world ready by the time they’re ready to launch their careers.’
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The Global Student Contest will run from October 2024 through June 2025. Students are invited to optimise a robotics application of their choice, which could include a FIRST Robotics Competition robot, manufacturing robot, robotic arm, battle bot or any other robotic system. Optimisations can target electrical, mechanical, structural, lightweighting, motion, or functional aspects, such as using data to enhance the robot’s performance during operation.
While students can use any solution from the Altair HyperWorks and Altair RapidMiner platforms, they are encouraged to utilise at least one of Altair’s most student-friendly optimisation tools: Altair Inspire, Altair AI Studio and Altair PSIM. Students must submit a video that explains their project’s methodology and results. At the end of each quarter during the contest period, participants have the chance to win US$2,000 for first place, US$1,000 for second place, and US$500 for third place.
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In addition, throughout the contest Altair will award three FIRST team sponsorships of US$5,000 each. Teams can earn a chance to win by submitting short, reel-like testimonial videos that explain how Altair tools have helped them and why they enjoy using them. Altair will also name three Altair Student Ambassadorships, which give each recipient a chance to earn up to US$1,000 for their contributions as a student ambassador. More information on the student ambassadorships can be found on the contest’s webpage.
‘We are delighted to see one of our corporate sponsors offer a global student contest that includes encouraging our pre-university students to apply their skills to building next-gen robotics,’ said Scott Legasse, senior manager for corporate relations at FIRST. ‘Altair strives to help students of all ages be real-world ready, and this is another indication that they are focused on that effort.’
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FIRST is a global non-profit public charity corporation founded in 1989 with the goal of preparing young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs for ages 4–18. The FIRST Robotics Competition programme debuted in 1992 and operates in more than 28 countries and regions worldwide, with participants in grades 8–12. FIRST has reached more than 3.2 million student participants around the world since its inception.
To learn more about the contest, including submission criteria and entry forms, click here.