Judging TECH NGO’s AI-Powered Search & Rescue Challenge at SUTD 🌏🤖

On 16 January 2026, I joined a panel of three judges at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) to assess a truly inspiring student design challenge. As part of the STEAMxD workshop—hosted in collaboration with the James Dyson Foundation—teams were tasked with reimagining disaster response, combining robotics, artificial intelligence, and creative problem-solving to tackle real-world emergencies.

As part of the judging panel, I questioned, assessed, and ultimately celebrated the brightest teams pitching their solutions to a simulated humanitarian crisis. The room buzzed with creative energy and urgency—everyone was driven to make a real difference.

Event Overview

STEAMxD stands out by blending STEAM—Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics—with design thinking for true transdisciplinary impact. Each year, pre-university students receive:

• A design brief grounded in a real-world scenario
• Clear deliverables, rubrics, and assessment metrics
• The challenge to combine engineering rigour, creative design, and empathy for meaningful solutions

Theme & Design Challenge

This year’s scenario was dramatic: A massive earthquake had struck the fictional country of Astoria. The rural village of Rewa—normally a peaceful holiday getaway—was flattened. Hundreds of lives hung in the balance, including kindergarten children, elderly residents, villagers, and the nation’s president.

Student teams, role-playing as an SUTD-based TECH NGO, were tasked to design an AI-powered rescue robot with advanced image recognition. Their mission: strategise and prototype a search and rescue operation before first responders could arrive.

Key challenges:

• Prioritising rescue—choosing between children, elderly, local villagers, and high-profile individuals
• Navigating real-world logistics: robotics, terrain, connectivity, and medical needs
• Respecting local culture and making ethical decisions
• Communicating their solution in a concise, compelling 3-minute storyboard pitch

Pitching Rubric

Teams were evaluated across six dimensions, blending technical ingenuity with a human touch. The full scoring rubric:

Criterion	Design Skills	What We Looked For
Culture (Humanities)	Cultural sensitivity, ethics	Empathy for diverse local needs—justifying decisions for vulnerable groups (children, elderly, villagers).
Geography	Strategic planning	Adaptation to the disaster’s unique context: terrain, infrastructure, and local challenges.
Technology	Qualitative reasoning	Innovative yet realistic use of AI and robotics, acknowledging their strengths and limitations.
Logistics	Managing expectations	Practical constraints—robot mobility, communications, terrain, delivery—addressed directly in the design.
Unique Selling Point (USP)	Creativity, confidence	Distinctive, memorable proposals with an inventive edge and confident delivery.
Clarity of Message	Technical communication	Clear, logical, and engaging pitch—could anyone understand the idea in under three minutes?

Total possible score: 60 points. We rewarded not only engineering precision, but also thoughtful, human-centered design.

Standout Moments

Teams brought ideas to life with passion and determination. Empathetic storytelling was met with outstanding physical prototypes:

• One team proposed a tele-operated tethered robot for navigating rubble.
• Another impressed with a nimble quadruped robot, showcasing animal-like agility in the disaster zone.
• Several others designed robots with caterpillar wheel systems to traverse rough terrain. Across all teams, it was evident: these students aimed to build systems rooted in empathy, adaptability, and hope.

Awarding Prizes

Handing out prizes was both exhilarating and humbling. The winning teams delivered more than technical solutions—they showed confidence, compassion, and vision. It’s inspiring to witness young minds address global challenges with heart and ingenuity. This experience left me optimistic for the future of intelligent robotics and humanitarian engineering.

---

Thank you to SUTD, the James Dyson Foundation, faculty mentors and every student innovator. If this challenge is any measure, we’re in good hands for the crises—and breakthroughs—of the future.