Feature: When teens build robots that care

　　SINGAPORE, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- "You can try talking to it." Fifteen-year-old Felix Sacher, from Germany, held a small white plush bear toward the reporter.

　　At the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) International Final 2025 in Singapore, the toy came to life. The bear spoke in English, Chinese, and Malay: "Welcome!"

　　The reporter leaned close and spoke into its right ear. "Good morning. How are you?"

　　"Thank you for asking," the bear replied. "Did you sleep well?"

　　"Not really. I'm feeling tired," came the response.

　　"I'm sorry to hear that," the bear said. "Let's check your health." A tiny sensor was clipped to its waist, designed so the user could press a finger inside to measure their pulse.

　　Felix and his ten-year-old teammate, Sophie Sacher, had built the companion robot for people with chronic migraines and heart diseases. Its artificial intelligence (AI) allowed it to converse, sing when needed, and alert pre-set contacts in case of emergencies.

　　"Notice its feet," Felix said, pointing to the right sole. It can cool down to press against a forehead for migraine relief. "Our bear can also switch between different languages, including Chinese. I don't know if it's perfect, since I don't speak Chinese," he added with a small laugh. "But it sounds convincing."

　　Across the three-day competition, nearly 600 teams from more than 100 countries and regions presented projects that often reflected a social conscience. Some addressed illness or disability, others sought to ease labor in underdeveloped regions, and some explored sustainable development.

　　A team from Britain built a device the size of a bar of soap, designed for visually impaired users. "Although anyone can ask AI for help, these systems usually require a screen," explained fourteen-year-old Liu Yibo. "Many blind people still can't read signs, catch public transport, or even know what's happening around them. One person said: I just want something that can talk to me. No phone, no screen."

　　Other teams addressed aging populations and mental health. A Malaysian team built a caregiving robot to monitor elders' health, dispense medication, and assist breathing. A Singaporean team designed a plush panda to provide companionship for children with autism.

　　Some projects were closely tied to local realities. From Mozambique, one team built an agricultural robot capable of plowing soil, collecting organic waste, and shredding leaves and branches automatically.

　　"In Mozambique, many people face poverty and hunger," said fifteen-year-old Malen Gildo Zucula. "We decided to talk with real people who have difficult lives, and understand what they need, what they are suffering and what we can do to help them." In her country, women often carry babies into the fields to work long hours, and she wants to ease their burden.

　　Similarly, a Palestinian team developed a soil-monitoring robot that measures pH, moisture, temperature, and nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, offering real-time guidance on watering and fertilizing. "In Palestine," said fifteen-year-old Razan Shawar, "farmers face limited water, poor soil quality, and high-tech costs. Watching crops with yellowing leaves or fragile roots is heartbreaking."

　　Some teams cast their gaze even farther. A team from China's Shanghai designed a mining robot intended for Mars to extract solid water and convert it into oxygen and hydrogen for storage.

　　Sixteen-year-old Yang Xuanheng explained that Earth's energy shortages inspired the project. The robot's six-wheel drive drew on China's Mars rover Zhurong, while its excavating arm, modeled after NASA's RASSOR robot, bends like a human arm using only one motor -- efficient, precise, and graceful.

　　"Each country and region has its own distinctive projects," Eugene Zhang, chairman of the WRO board, told Xinhua. "Students from China brought a robot for mining water on Mars, Singapore's students developed a robot to help protect students' eyesight, and Nigerian students built an AI-assisted reading robot for the visually impaired. They are all creative and socially meaningful." ■