"They say the world’s grown small,
Caught by satellites and cables all,
Trapped inside that idiot box we see…
From our rooms, we reach the world so wide,
The whole globe now fits in our hands’ stride,
Breaking the chains of space, time, and boundary."
The younger generation seems to have written a new chapter in their eagerness to grasp robots in their hands, much like the song lyrics of “Mahiner Ghoraguli” from the album Abar Bochor Kuri Pore. Singing lines like “Come, let’s open the windows wide, wandering lost down unknown roads, we may find more companions”—they are conquering the world with creativity. Robots are evolving into digital servants for human welfare. In the near future, we might see “Made in Bangladesh” robots clearing coastal waste and turning it into reusable resources.
A rehearsal of this vision took place in Busan, South Korea. At the 26th International Robot Olympiad, two daughters of Bangladesh, Namiya Raujat Nubala and Arietti Islam, stole the show. Through their efforts, the red-and-green flag of Bangladesh waved proudly once again on the global stage.
From the very beginning, this mission has been led by Dr. Lafifa Jamal. She is a professor in the Department of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Dhaka. She is also a member of the central committee of the International Robot Olympiad (IRO) and has been serving as a judge for the past seven years. This year, she was one of the four head judges as well.
“The Bangladesh team participated in four categories of the competition. Among them, in the Creative Movie category, Bangladeshi boys and girls have been performing excellently for the past few years. In this category, based on the given sub-theme at the start of the competition, participants have to build a robot on-site, create a story, shoot, and edit audio and video to make a two-minute movie—all within a five-hour timeframe. Props, editing, and background music are also part of the task. The winning team is the one that combines technical knowledge of robot building with creativity in movie-making. In the Physical Computing competition, participants create an animation story based on the sub-theme, and then build and program the robot to control it. Synchronization between the robot and the animation story is crucial. These kids work with incredible dedication and joy. The youngest member of the Bangladesh team, Ariyetti, the gold medalist in the junior group, caught the attention of all judges and referees. Many were taking pictures of Ariyetti’s robot during breaks in the work. The president of the organizing committee also praised the continuous improvement of the Bangladesh team after the competition.”
Dr. Lafifa Jamal, Member, IRO (International Robot Olympiad)
Our Two Golden Daughters
Arietti and Nubala. Through their skills, Bangladesh has won gold in both small and large categories. Arietti is in class three, while Nubala is in grade 9. Both are top students as well. They are the epitome of the saying “she who cooks also ties her hair.” In the early stages of their lives, Nubala shines like a nebula, and Arietti seems like the real-life heroine of a Japanese comic strip animation movie. For both of them, the arrival of the pandemic seemed like a blessing. During that time, they built their own empire with the support of their parents. And this empire has been crowned with success by Mishal Islam from the Bangladesh Open Source Network. The coach of the team, Mishal, received praise from the victorious voices. We spoke with Mishal to learn the secret behind this success.
“Children’s minds are like clay. Just as clay is shaped, they move forward in the same way. The success that the Bangladesh team achieves every year serves as an inspiration for the next batch of children. At the same time, we prepare our children to face all the challenges that come on the international stage with hands-on training. During the high-performance camps, apart from practicing robotics, the children also build a bond of trust and sincerity with their coaches. This is why, every year, we can overcome all obstacles and move forward together. The belief that we must do something good for Bangladesh works in all our minds. That is the mantra that leads us to victory. This year, our country has achieved great success in various categories. For example, in the Creative Movie category, the Bangladesh team has won gold, silver, and bronze. This Creative Movie category is one of the most challenging. Other countries have greatly praised our success. And Bangladesh is the only team where the ratio of medals earned is the highest among competitors.”
Mishal Islam, Coach
Let’s take a glimpse into the world of our two gold-winning robo-daughters.
Seriously Clueless Nubala
As a member of the “Seriously Clueless” team, Namia Rowjat Nubala is walking the path of the robotician team of Bangladesh, embodying the spirit of “the traveler of darkness walking with the light in hand.” With the support of her father’s interest and her mother’s nurturing, she has already shown brilliance on the world stage. The clues behind her success? Books, coding, and math, all found in the world of Mohammad Ashraful Amin and Afsana Ashika, her parents. She has traveled to 19 countries with them so far. Her goal now is to study at MIT and create an AI-powered robot that will be affordable and provide maximum solutions for the underprivileged. From a young age, Nubala enjoyed solving puzzles. During the pandemic, she learned Java and Python programming languages through the “Go As You Learn” method. Her interest in robotics began last year at a workshop organized by BDOSN at Dhaka University. For this competition, she brought along the tools to build 10 robots and used them to create five robots that could help clean up beaches—collecting trash, removing excess sand, preparing chemicals for beach cleaning, sorting paper, plastic, and glass, and recycling them into molds. Her video showcasing the robots’ expertise amazed the judges. In the video, she demonstrated how the economy begins to turn around at Busan’s dirty beach, crowded with tourists. However, Nubala faced challenges while creating the movie within the allotted time. She mentioned, “I didn’t expect to win gold. The editing software wasn’t working. I downloaded another software, but it didn’t work either. Eventually, I edited the movie using a phone app. After an extra hour, I found that CapCut and Da Vinci software weren’t working. But when the results were announced, I was doubtful. When my name was called, I was stunned. My teammate Priyanti nudged me and told me that I had won the gold medal. I couldn’t believe it at first, but then a wave of pride, excitement, and gratitude rushed through me.”
After winning the gold medal, Nubala is now focused on the upcoming Regional Math Olympiad and aims to add a new achievement at the global competition in February. She also shared her advice on maintaining focus and working efficiently under pressure for victory: “The key is to focus on one subject at a time.” In 2019, she won the second runner-up trophy at the International Alohay event in China. Last year, she participated in the World Scholars Cup Global Round in Thailand, winning five gold medals and eight medals overall. In November of the same year, Nubala participated in the World Scholars Cup “Tournament of Champions” at Yale University in the USA, where she won three gold medals and one silver medal.
Graceful Arietti
Although the team name is unconventional, Arietti Islam, the first child of software engineer Mohammad Shamim Reza and novelist Kamrun Nahar Deepa, has illuminated the global stage with her graceful brilliance. On her first overseas trip at the age of eight, she faced a challenge: to improve the water quality of a river flowing beside Busan’s Marine City. According to the instructions, Arietti created an interactive robot with a crane-like arm that could detect and collect ferrous, nickel, cobalt, steel, and rare earth metals from the river’s water. In addition to cleaning the river, the robot could also weigh and store the non-ferrous materials in designated bins using smart programming. This gold-winning robot of the competition wants to create a robot in the future that benefits people, similar to ChatGPT.
When asked about it, she said, “The goal is to create a robot that helps people. The main aim is to solve problems and make life easier. Additionally, I want to use new ideas and technologies in the robot to demonstrate my skills for competitions. In the long run, this robot will work to solve real-life problems. I also want to make special robots for children in the future.” When asked about her hobbies, she shared, “Apart from robotics, I practice martial arts, app development, and crafting. I love traveling and playing with my younger brother. I’m about to get my black belt soon.” Arietti is skilled in crafting and also enjoys writing stories for children. Her book, “Arietti’s Little Stories,” will be published by Kakatua Publications at this year’s book fair.
The Winners of the Red and Green in 2025
This year, a team of 10 members from Bangladesh participated in the International Robot Olympiad. Among them, Arietti Islam won the gold medal in the Junior Group of the Creative Category, while Namia Rowjat Nubala, a student from Hardco International School, won the gold medal in the Senior Group of the Creative Movie Category. Gold-winning Nubala also secured a bronze medal in Physical Computing as a member of the adult team “Seriously Clueless” and another silver medal in the Junior Group as a member of the team “Anari” from Manipur High School and College.
Other Silver Medalists from the Bangladesh Team:
Other silver medalists from Bangladesh include Nusayba Tajrin from the senior group of the Creative Movie Category with the team “Zeroeth,” Priyanti Das from the “Team Shifu,” and the team members from “Saf.AI” in the senior group of the Creative Category, namely Hasin Ishraq Chowdhury, AZM Imtinan Kabir, and Abrar.
Additionally, bronze medals were awarded to Nafiya Basar from “The Screw Loose” team in the junior group of Physical Computing, Nusayba Tajrin from the “Zeroeth” team in the senior group of Physical Computing, and the members of “Saf.AI” team from Dhaka Residential Model College, Hasin Ishraq Chowdhury, AZM Imtinan Kabir, and Abrar Abir in the senior group of Creative Movie. A total of 8 out of 10 participants won medals.
Bangladesh at the Top of the Robo Olympiad:
Since 2018, under the guidance of the Bangladesh Open Source Network, Bangladeshi children have begun making waves at the Robot Olympiad. In the very first year, the Bangladesh Robo Tigers won Manila. In the “Creative Category” Junior Group, they won gold with Kazi Mostahid Labib, Tafsir Tahrim from Chittagong Grammar School (Dhaka), and Mohd. Meher Mahmud from Maple Leaf International School. In the following 21st edition, Bangladesh won 1 gold, 2 silver, and 6 bronze medals, totaling 10 awards; in the 22nd edition, 2 gold and 2 silver medals among 15; in the 23rd edition, a record 4 gold and 15 medals in total; in the 24th edition, 1 gold and 6 silver with 14 awards; and in the 25th edition, 3 gold and 6 silver medals. In total, the Robo Tigers have won 14 gold, 22 silver, and 28 bronze medals, bringing home 83 awards over 7 editions.
In this latest edition, Bangladesh’s team has the highest medal achievement per participant. Among 26 countries competing, 13 countries did not win any medals. Yet, Bangladesh’s team won gold, silver, and bronze, not just technical or highly recommended awards.
