24.10.2024

Currently, the technologies develop so rapidly that even schoolchildren can create the projects to solve the serious problems. Kamilla Kishkashbayeva, a student of the 10th form of Astana lyceum “Bilim-Innovation”, is the example of the aforesaid. Her way has begun from a simple interest in the engineering and has led to the victory at the prestigious startup competition “Solve for Tomorrow” of Samsung Electronics. Moreover, the ministries and domestic farmers are interested in the development of her team.

First steps in robotics and first difficulties  

Kamilla became interested in robotics approximately one year ago. Seeing the projects created by her peers, the high school student has decided to participate in the startup competition. Qualified for semi-finals, the high school student has decided to create the agricultural robot together with her partners Arai Zhienbai and Aizere Mukhanbai.

Based on the artificial intelligence, the robot shall detect the “pests” and kill them by herbicides in a targeted and effective way. The project was subject to many changes: beginning from the idea to use CO2 lasers, the team has rapidly switched to the solutions more suitable for the agricultural technologies, such as the electromagnetic valves.

From outsiders to leaders

Kamilla was far from the favorites at the semi-finals of the team . They took almost the next-to-last place according to their scores. The mentor sessions helped to see the project from the other side – not as the technical issue only, but from the perspective of business. Finally, they were included into the top ten finalists from more than 600 teams.

Final is always the emotional stress and it was on a high point for Kamilla and her team half an hour before the project presentation. Boards and drivers burned out at the most inappropriate moment, leaving the girls without the functional robot. But knowing all the features of their project, the team could restore everything very rapidly and successfully demonstrated their development to the judges.

The development of Kamilla and her partners was recognized as the best one according to the results of the final stage. They were awarded the first place and a cash grant in the amount of 4.000,000 tenge. And the robot became a symbol of their perseverance and victory.

Competition and experience: “Solve for Tomorrow” lessons

“Solve for Tomorrow” provided the team with the possibility to test the robot and understand what to improve. Also, the schoolchildren have recognized how it’s important not to create the product only, but understand its market demand. The girls want to use the prize money for the creation of a new and improved model of robot.

Kamilla is sure that they may achieve much more with this project. The business meetings with the representatives of the Ministry of Ecology and Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan and meetings with the experts from international companies, such as Egistic, Nuris and IOT-ГИС university centers have already been held.

“Solve for Tomorrow” project is the “factory” of future IT-professionals. The competition unites the thousands of schoolchildren throughout the Republic of Kazakhstan annually. The schoolchildren present their solutions of the acute social problem using the sciences, technologies, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The social project has been implemented in the Republic of Kazakhstan for four years under supervision of Samsung Electronics. The AYALA Private Charitable Foundation is the partner of this project. The prize fund of Solve for Tomorrow constitutes more than 10 million tenge. See the official website solvefortomorrow.kz for more detailed competition information.