Hundreds of Ultra-Orthodox Students Showcase Robots and Drones in National Tech Competitions
The Baba-Da Association, founded by Prof. Amnon Shaashua, recently marked the peak of its 2023-2024 academic year activities with a series of events presenting technological projects developed by thousands of ultra-Orthodox students. Last week, the national robotics and research competition for grades 5 to 8 was held at the National Archaeology Campus in Jerusalem. The week prior featured an app development hackathon for yeshiva students and a robotics and research contest for girls. Upcoming events will conclude programs for hundreds of younger students in grades 2 to 4 across ultra-Orthodox schools nationwide.
The recent competition concluded the "Atikotek" season, a unique Baba-Da program integrating archaeology, science, robotics, artificial intelligence, and technology within a supervised ultra-Orthodox framework. Throughout the year, students learned to research, design, and develop innovative solutions to real-world challenges, fostering creativity, teamwork, and technological skills. Participants presented research projects, competed in robotics tasks, and showcased their work to a professional judging panel composed of volunteers from the Israeli Aerospace Industries.
Additionally, graduates of Baba-Da's drone program demonstrated their flying skills after completing a dedicated course and obtaining official pilot licenses. The championship was won for the first time by a team from Ganei Tikva, who overcame experienced competitors despite significant challenges during the year. Their research project developed a specialized robot for exploring caves, underground spaces, and narrow tunnels unsafe for humans, featuring advanced terrain mobility, AI-based archaeological detection cameras, and documentation capabilities.
Awards for robot design and innovation went to teams from Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem, respectively, for original technological solutions developed during the Atikotek challenges. Michal Ivgi, CEO of Baba-Da, emphasized the students' perseverance amid a complex year marked by war and educational disruptions, highlighting the program's role in nurturing a generation of skilled, creative youth grounded in ultra-Orthodox values.
Baba-Da has been active for over a decade in making science, technology, and innovation accessible to ultra-Orthodox children and teens. Each year, thousands nationwide engage in robotics, drones, app development, research, and entrepreneurship within an educational framework that combines technological excellence with Jewish identity and 21st-century skills development.
