The 2024 “Co-Making the Future” China-U.S. Young Maker Competition Shenzhen Division held its primary track selection event at SUSTech’s School of Design on July 12 and 13.

Eighty-nine teams were formed as a result of 433 participants coming from 47 universities all over the country to compete.

The competition, which revolved around Co-Making the Future, required participants to use digital technology to explore innovative solutions in areas such as resilient communities, environmental education, low-carbon environmental protection, green transportation, and the circular economy. The goal was to create projects with both social significance and industrial value, leveraging cutting-edge technology and open-source tools.

On the afternoon of July 13, sixteen teams advanced to the offline roadshow competition, with notable winners from Guangzhou University (“The multi-water garbage collection unmanned boat” award-winning work), Shenyang Aerospace University (“The efficient radish harvesting robot”), Shenzhen University (“AI empowers people with hand disabilities”), and Zhengzhou University (Parkinson’s disease integrated screening system) progressing to the national finals.

During the two-day event, students from various universities, including the Harbin Institute of Technology, South China University of Technology, Jinan University, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen Technology University, Guangzhou University, Guangdong University of Technology, Shenyang University, Changsha University of Science and Technology, China University of Mining and Technology, China University of Petroleum, and SUSTech, showcased a series of innovative projects.

A highlight was the “F·lower” project by Chao XUE, a postgraduate student from the School of Design at SUSTech, and his team. Guided by Assistant Professor Wanlin ZHANG, they designed a set of low-carbon educational toys for teenagers, earning them the third prize.

These projects exemplified how digital technologies could be applied in various domains, including educating about low-carbon practices, enhancing science and technology in agriculture, and supporting minority groups. The creations reflected the young generation’s concern for social issues and their innovative problem-solving approaches.

Xiaohua SUN, Chair Professor of the School of Design at SUSTech, remarked, “The ambiance of this competition is energetic, and the contenders are passionate about exploring new and creative concepts. The presentations by the teams highlight a strong grasp of social issues and diverse industry developments, empowered by the student’s learning in their respective majors”.

The China-U.S. Young Maker Competition (CUYMC) is a youth cultural exchange event sponsored by the Ministry of Education of China, with organizers including the Chinese Service Center for Scholarly Exchange, Tsinghua University, Beijing Gehua Cultural Development Group, Intel Corporation, and the China University Science and Technology Park Alliance. Since its inception in 2014, the competition has attracted more than 70,000 participants and generated over 17,000 projects.

Organized by the School of Design at SUSTech, this competition was also supported by the Shenzhen Innovation & Creative Design Development Office, the Shenzhen Creative Cultural Center, the Shenzhen Culture Creative & Design Association, Shenzhen Zhongke Satellite Technology Co., Ltd., and C Foundation.