Wanna-be robot engineers compete in the national finals ahead of the World
Robot Olympiad in November. 

TOKYO, JAPAN (AUGUST 31, 2008) REUTERS - 
 Students of all ages gathered from across Japan and competed their
skills to create and operate robots near Tokyo on Sunday (August 31) as they
geared up for the World Robot Olympiad coming up in November. 
    The Japan round of the international competition held in Yokohama was
joined by more than 80 teams comprising elementary school to high school
students, who showed off their skills to assemble robots and demonstrate their
pieces of work. 
    Among this year's entries were many robot cars, which were controlled
not by remote control devices but through a computer program written by the
children.
    "In Japan, we have made efforts to train people who can create
things. And here, we aim to awaken children's curiosity towards science. This
is the reason why we are hosting this event," said Yasuhide Kobayashi, an
organizer of the event. 
    Eventually, 24 teams passed the preliminary round and got tickets to
the international World Robot Olympiad competition scheduled for November in
Yokohama. 
    Eleven-year-old Kosuke Suzuki, who was relieved to see his robot making
it to the November competition, said: "At the world championships, we
will even have to write a program on our own during the competition. That's
why we'd have to work harder." 
    The annual World Robot Olympiad for students started in Singapore in
2004.