Maputo, Oct. 5, 2026 (Lusa) - Four Mozambican teenagers have developed a robot to collect and transport simulated fire sources, a technology they intend to adapt for fighting forest fires whilst minimising the risk to human life, and which they are now taking to a competition in South Korea.
The team consists of Kelven Melo and Elbeny Melo, both aged 16, and Waiz Popatiya and Andilli Shanilla Cordeiro, aged 15, pupils who make up Stemmoze, who will represent Mozambique at the FIRST Global Challenge 2026, an international robotics competition taking place from 7 to 10 October in Incheon.
Three of the teenagers are in Year 10 and Waiz is in Year 9. The team set off on Sunday for South Korea to take part in the competition, which brings together students from over 190 countries and which this year is being held under the theme ‘Igniting Innovation', focusing on the prevention, mitigation and recovery from forest fires.
In the «Igniting Innovation Robotics Challenge», teams compete in a simulated environment for forest fire prevention, mitigation and recovery, using practical engineering and strategy to explore ways of reducing the risk and impact of fires, protecting communities and strengthening environmental resilience.
«The challenge involves building a robot capable of capturing balls representing fire hotspots,» Andilli Shanilla Cordeiro, a Year 10 pupil at Colégio Nhamunda, explained to Lusa.
The prototype was developed in around four weeks using materials supplied by the competition organisers through the US company REV Robotics, which specialises in the development of educational robotics components and systems.
The robot was designed to collect balls representing fire hotspots, store them and transport them to a containment area within the competition arena.
The machine was also built to climb an inclined structure, on a course that starts at 24 centimetres and reaches two metres in height – one of the requirements set for the international competition.
The robot's battery allows for around 30 minutes of operation per charge.
«They aren't actual fires, of course, but after this challenge I believe we can improve our robot so that it can really help in real-life firefighting situations. We can attach a water hose so that, instead of a human having expose themselves to the fire and take risks, the robot can be operated from a distance,» said Andilli.
The project began with Waiz, who started developing the robot, and later included Andilli, Kelven and Elbeny.
For Andilli, his interest in robotics only emerged this year, following the introduction of the subject at school.
«They introduced robotics at my school and I started learning. I was like, wow, I'd never got into this before. Actually, I have friends who used to programme and do other things, but I'd never been interested,» she explained.
The young people argue that robotics and STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) should be given greater prominence in Mozambican state schools.
«I believe we must take this challenge on board and address it in such a way that we can incorporate it into the Mozambican context. We also have Stemmoze, an organisation that works with technology, but we could make robotics and STEM a regular feature in our state schools,» said Andilli.
The team is now seeking sponsorship to continue developing the prototype and to support future international participation.
The teenagers say they intend to use the competition to gain experience, meet other young people and showcase the work carried out in Mozambique.
Elbeny Melo says that he has been interested in robotics since he was a child and says the team is heading to South Korea with the ambition to win.
«We're going there with the mindset that we want to win, but also to gain experience, socialise, and do lots of other things,» said Elbeny, adding that the group has already presented the project to the Mozambican president, Daniel Chapo, who, according to the teenagers, expressed his desire to see them win.
The FIRST Global Challenge is an international robotics competition held annually in a different country, bringing together students from around the world to build and programme robots designed to tackle challenges related to global issues. For 2026, the event will take place in Incheon, one of South Korea's leading centres of innovation.
EYMZ/AYLS // AYLS
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