Team Seychelles is headed for the First Global Robotic Challenge in Geneva with the aim to improve on its world ranking of 17 out of 177.

This year's team got its official sending-off on Monday for the event which will be held between October 12-16 with around 180 participating countries.

Xavier Estico, director general for the Division of Science, Technology and Innovation, said that "the Seychelles 2022 team's performance is quite high and as the team's manager I expect us to continue climbing in our rankings and that we give a very good performance."

He said, "It's not easy when you are going up and even just maintaining your position, we are hoping to work with other teams that are also quite good so that we can keep climbing in the rankings."

The robotics competition began in 2017 in Washington DC, and Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, was ranked 105 out of 163 countries taking part.

Over the years, Team Seychelles has progressed and is ranked 17 out of 177 countries taking part.

The core members of the team are Ronan Varsani, Mikhail Rudchenko, Farah-Rose Jean-Louis, Jaeden Ernesta and Maryam Henrie.

Rudchenko has previously taken part in the robotics competition and said he is happy to be part of the team, adding "I will use my experience to help my teammates."

Ernesta, who is taking part for the first time, said he is excited to be going to the competition.

The team will take part in practice matches and ranking matches – which will determine how well Seychelles does on the world ranking.

Estico also said that there is an element of luck also involved in the competition as if Seychelles is teamed up with a strong team, it has greater chances of doing well.

"This is why we have made our robot as strong a contender as possible to ensure that we do not lose points. A robot that meets all the criteria that fit with this year's challenge as it has speed, agility and efficiency," he added.

In last year's competition, Seychelles won three gold medals, a silver and a bronze.

In addition to the robotic competition, the youngsters in Geneva will also have a chance to mingle and network through a cultural evening scheduled for Friday with the chance to see the international musical group Black Eyed Peas.

Estico said it was a chance to groom youngsters to not only develop a love for robotics but also to help them develop solutions for problems the world is facing such as climate change.

"Seychelles will also benefit from having our youngsters also showing their abilities," said Estico.