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In a moment of triumph, students from the Dubai campus secured the top position in both categories of the Xplore Automation Award 2023, held in Germany. Phoenix Contact has been hosting the international Xplore competition for over 25 years. The theme of this year's competition was "Technology Award for a Sustainable World".
The Xplore Automation Award witnessed fierce competition this year, with over 170 teams hailing from more than 30 different countries vying for top honours. The international jury, comprising senior industry and academic leaders, made the critical selection of the top 100 teams during the global online conference xvention in September 2022. The Dubai campus distinguished itself as all four of its entries made it to the top 100, an exceptional achievement and a testament to the institution's commitment to fostering innovation and excellence.
The selected teams were had a year's time to bring their sustainable ideas to life with the support of Phoenix Contact. Each team received an equipment grant of €3,500 to successfully build their project. Two of the Dubai campus teams advanced to the final stage, ranking among the top 25 teams. These talented teams were then extended an invitation to participate in the finals in Germany, where they were declared winners in two categories.
The winning teams were led by their mentor and supervisor, Dr. Prashant Kumar Soori, Associate Professor at Dubai’s School of Engineering and Physical Sciences. Dr Senthil Muthukumaraswamy also accompanied the team to attend the Grand Finale event in Germany.
In the Environmental Category, Smart Aquaponic Systems, Juno Doctolero, Siddharth Shijumon and Bilal Ajadi (Alumni, Solar Project Engineer at Solartech-UK) were adjudged winners.
In the Social & Health Category, NurseBot, Adwaith Sajikumar and Karen Jane Dsouza emerged victorious.
Events like these help students and faculty make strides in the world of innovation and automation and expose them to the global community.