CARACAS, Aug 19: Competition ran high on the final day of this year's quarter-finals Robotics World Cup, which drew 700 international contestants to Mexico City Arena for the three-day challenge.

The 'First Global Challenge 2018' featured the next generation of young engineers and robotics technicians from 193 countries.

Aged 14 to 18, the 696 competitors were challenged to create a robot capable of activating sustainable energy sources and energizing power plants, while including an electrical transmission network optimally.

The young engineers were asked to determine the strongest energy generator: solar energy, wind turbine, a nuclear reactor, and a combustion plant.

"It's the second game; we have four games left and we are going to give everything. It's a team effort and you learn from your mistakes," 17-year-old contestant Santiago Garcia told El Universal.

Despite Mexico's strong lead on the second day of competitions, with three wins, the Latin American country was pushed out by the United Kingdom, Georgia and Qatar placing in the quarterfinals and moving on to the next round.

The event focuses on developing technological thinking and teamwork, two important strategies for building a better world, organizers said.

A message from Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto encouraged countries to support the roboticists in their endeavors, saying their training and preparation is essential to face future challenges.

"The talent that exists in the world has to be dedicated and organized to solve the great problems that humanity is experiencing, without selfishness, without thinking that they are only problems of a nation... because in the end what each country undertakes, performs, necessarily impacts other regions," Peña said.

 
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