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[Roya] The first time I touched the computer,
it was like a light in the darkness.
I could see photos, books, videos,... more
and my tiny world got bigger and bigger.
[Roya] This is just one screen,
but it is connected to millions of others.
Sharing information, sharing ideas,
sharing what men have prevented us from learning.
[Roya] Girls are not free in life, but we are on this.
This is my sister Elaha, my partner in our company.
Computers are like a language.
[gentle music]
First you learn the grammar, and then you can speak.
This is the language of the 21st century.
Knowledge is power. Here is the door to knowledge.
[Roya] We have started computer classrooms
for girls in Herat and Kabul.
Now we want to expand outside the cities, starting with you.
[class murmurs]
[Roya] This is no longer our fathers',
our grandfathers', Afghanistan.
This is our Afghanistan too.
[upbeat music]
Our time.
[Ali] So how did it go?
We'll see.
Their parents will have heart attacks when they hear.
They'll come around.
I hope.
[“Sarbaze Vatan” by Yas]
This is terrible.
-No more Iranian rap. -I am driving.
Well, that's terrible too.
The next time take a rickshaw then.
[Elaha] Five minutes of decent music, please.
[Elaha] For your favorite sister.
Okay, sure.
[ominous tones]
[tires screeching] [gun cocking]
Ali!
[engine running]
[engine stopping]
-The computers come today, -Dad: Ah, big day.
For the boys.
If boys can use the computers, then so can the girls.
[Dad] You tell them you want to use them too, Roya.
[background conversations]
[Teacher] We only got two computers.
[Teacher] Everyone has to wait their turn.
Girls outside.
[gentle music]
[Teacher] After me.
-Teacher: Computer, -Class: computer.
-Teacher: Cable, -Class: cable,
-Teacher: Mouse -Class: mouse
-Teacher: Computer, -Class: computer,
-Teacher: Cable, -Class: cable,
-Teacher: Mouse. -Class: mouse.
Can I use these?
Just for the boys.
[Roya] What boys? I've never seen one use them.
Here's your father's pastries
and why don't you forget about things that don't concern you.
I know how to set these up so you can actually use them.
And start charging.
I know how they work. I don't need your help.
If you know how come they're never on?
Roya...
Hold on.
You don't know how to use this?
-I do. -How?
I read about it.
[startup jingles]
[Abdul] Okay, genius. Show me.
-Ah -Get out of here.
Please wait, just 10 more minutes.
I said get out.
I'll make you a deal.
You let me come here for an hour
before you open every morning,
I'll learn how to use these and then I'll teach you.
[upbeat music]
[Abdul] I didn't really think you'd be here.
I just lost the connection.
[Abdul] Hold on.
[TV plays in background]
[music continues]
[voices singing]
[Roya] We have five classes a day on Sharia law
and zero on computers.
One class. That's all we want.
You expect me to snap my fingers
and reinvent the Afghan education system.
We're asking for just one class.
[Dean] The only way you can do this
is if you get 70% of the students to agree.
70%.
But the reason for the rule is, it'll never happen.
[Dean] There is a better chance of Madonna
becoming president of Afghanistan
than getting to 70% on this.
[Afghan folk music]
With this method,
we took two separate arrays and connected them.
I have someone for you to meet.
An American, and a big deal tech executive.
I almost didn't make it.
They shut down the Kabul airport for three hours
because of a suicide bombing by the main gate.
Then it was impossible to navigate this city.
Kept driving in circles around these big towers.
The Musalla minarets.
They're from 1417
[Samir] 600 years, no one thought to put up road signs.
The numbers don't make any sense either.
We've been busy.
[Samir] I guess so. You had that British problem.
Then you had the Russians.
You forgot Genghis Khan
and Alexander the Great, a few others.
[Roya] You are right about the numbers though.
[Roya] The first project Larry Page and Sergey Brinn
did as PhD students
was they renumbered the offices in their Stanford building.
The numbering made no sense before that.
They were in charge. Even as kids.
[Roya] I guess if your goal
was to organize the world's information,
organizing your building was a good place to start.
Good work, in a room of 50 people you've found Samir.
[Samir] Hello.
-Dean: How you doing my friend? -Samir: Good.
Samir Sinha.
[Dean] And this is Roya, my star student.
[Dean] She's also now in charge of IT for the whole university.
Sounds about right.
[Samir] If you're as good as my friend says,
you're not gonna code for the rest of your life, right?
[Dean] She will make a first rate professor.
[Samir] No doubt. No, she would.
[Samir] But we also need company founders
who would hire folks who graduate from
universities like yours.
I'm still in school.
Well, I was still in school
when I started my first company.
[Samir] You really wanna help your country?
You gotta be entrepreneural.
[Afghan folk music]
[Ali] Look, Roya Mahboob has a vision
for women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan,
and that vision was rewarded last month
with funding for her startup.
[Ali] This is an American magazine.
I only spoke with her for 10 minutes.
This is Roya in American Magazine.
I need to charge you more for tea now.
[Teacher] Everyone type "x" and an "=" sign.
[Teacher] We want to make it an integer,
and to do that, now enter "int" at the head of the line.
[Teacher] Then, let's give it a value of 2.
[Teacher] Then we put a semicolon
at the end of the line
to show that the line is over.
You okay?
I just can't believe that I'm really doing this.
[market noises]
This is your office?
Google started in the garage and then was over a bike shop.
Ah.
Overpaid for my bikes there for years.
How's the girls computer classrooms going?
-Good. -Yeah
And bad.
We have 6 of 10 classrooms up and running.
The others will be up in maybe two weeks.
Alright, well what's the bad?
That.
How's that bad?
[Roya] 10 classrooms are a drop in the ocean.
It's not changing anything.
You're changing things for those girls.
No, we have to grow the girls' computer classrooms somehow.
You know when your buddies started Google,
there were other companies out there winning the race.
Smaller ones you've probably forgotten about,
like Ask Jeeves, Alta Vista, and some really big guys too.
Yahoo, Microsoft, were completely dominant.
And then, in comes Google.
And they weren't just better.
They made sure everyone saw they were better.
So...
[gentle music]
[Ali] For robots?
[Roya] Students build these robots
and they go to competitions.
And this plan is based on what?
Ten minutes of Googling?
Yes, Googling.
But all night.
I spoke to Samir. He says he can
introduce me to people in this world.
Roya, we can barely afford the computer classrooms,
and now you want to make robots.
Yeah, we have to spread the word of what we're doing.
-Winning something big-- -Like that?
Then how about, an Afghan ice hockey team.
Imagine, an all girls robotics team,
competing in, in Europe, in America.
Ok, one small problem.
None of us know anything about robots.
This will light a fire.
It'll show our girls in a new light.
It'll show them win.
What girls?
The ones in our classrooms?
Most of them can't get on Facebook.
And if they did, their fathers and brothers
would marry them off or beat them.
They'd beat us.
And you want to fly them around the world
to computer and robot competitions?
Yes.
No one from Afghanistan has ever
done something like this before.
Girls and robots?
Nothing ever happened unless someone dreamed it first.
[Iranian rap]
[Ali] Who's going to teach these girls?
[Roya] You are. You're the coach.
[Ali] Me?
[tires screeching]
[gun cocking]
Ali!
[tires screeching]
[Ali] Get Down, get down.
[girls screaming]
[intense music]
[gunfire]
[music fades]
Everyone okay?
[Ali] Okay?
[Roya] Okay.
Next time their gun won't jam.
[Roya crying]
What do we do now?
We are looking for girls in Herat
who would like to learn about robotics.
[Elaha] This will be the first ever
robotics team for Afghanistan.
We are looking for girls who are mechanically minded
and want to explore the world of robots.
[Elaha] This will be the first ever
robotics team for Afghanistan.
We're starting an all-girls team.
We are looking for girls who excel at math, math and science
and we will travel all over the world
to compete with teams from other countries.
If there's any interest at all, please tell your friends
-and please, -please,
please come to our meeting on Saturday.
Saturday, at 2,
two o'clock at the Herat High School for Girls.
It's a great opportunity.
Please, please come.
[gentle ethnic music]
I didn't expect a parade but...
You're Roya?
[gentle inspirational music]
Sorry but the classroom was too small so we came here.
[Roya] We are looking for four girls for the first team.
After that we'll start a new team each year.
[Roya] And we will travel, all over the world
to compete against other countries.
[Roya] My brother Ali has written a test
with physics and math,
which will help us choose the team.
These girls are great.
But their parents will think we are the evil Iblis.
And everyone knows we were shot at.
They knew and took the test anyway.
[Ali] Well, that's in two months.
Much too soon. We should wait for another.
No, we have to make it to Washington.
We don't have the funding and we don't have the girls.
You have a problem with your car or your motorbike.
This is the woman who brought computers to our school.
-Ms. Mahboob -Roya.
I owe you a big thanks.
Taara is very talented.
Mm. That's what she tells us.
[Roya] I want to speak to Taara, to both of you about, um
Taara joining our team.
Yes, yes. Thank you.
[Ahmed] Team? Like a football team?
In a way, but with robots.
Taara got one of the highest scores on our test
Robots?
[imitating robot sounds]
It's not funny.
[Ahmed] I think it's funny unless you're serious.
Ms. Mahboob said we'll get to build robots.
No Taara, no Roya.
I appreciate you giving Taara the chance to learn computers,
but now you're talking nonsense.
[Roya] Can I just tell you my idea?
[Ahmed] No. Do you think our girls have the luxury
to play at games like this?
Please?
[Roya] The girls will learn robotics.
This will help them win scholarships
to study wherever they want.
You wanted to be an engineer?
You know what going to a college could mean for me.
Ms. Mahboob is filling girls' heads with useless talk.
[Ahmed] How do robots make your life better?
And it's dangerous to talk about
girls doing this kind of thing.
It's dangerous not to talk about.
No more of this.
[Ahmed] We have real work to do.
[gentle ethnic music]
[team chatter]
[whistle]
[Coach] Ok, gather everybody.
Are you still interested in joining our team?
Yes, definitely.
Can you come to a meeting on Thursday?
No, I can't come to any meetings.
Why? Why did you take the test?
Because I want to join.
So you want to join but you're saying you can't.
I can join. I just, I can't come to any meetings.
Your father.
[Esin] Maybe he would give permission but,
it doesn't matter.
He's the youngest brother.
[Esin] My uncle, the oldest brother
makes all the family decisions.
[Esin] When I told him about your test, he yelled at me
and said it was a waste of two hours.
No.
[Ali] Esin had one of the top scores on our test.
Your niece is really good at math.
Can I explain what we are doing?
Don't waste my time.
You really think girls from Herat
are going to win an international competition?
This is insanity.
It's not. I promise you.
I just want to tell you how we plan to help--
-Rahim: Why? Huh? -Please?
My answer today, tomorrow
and the day after that will always be, no.
[upbeat ethnic music]
Is your daughter here?
There. That way.
[video game sounds]
[Roya] Hello?
[music continues]
You are good.
So-So, Arezo's the master.
Is that true?
[video game sounds]
[Roya] How would you like to drive a robot?
I thought your test was going to be hard.
You did really well.
[Arezo] How fast do these robots go?
[Ali] If we're lucky, 10 kilometers an hour.
About as fast as a sick sheep. I don't think that's for me.
Yeah, but you get to drive them in America.
You are taking your team to America?
[upbeat ethnic music]
[background conversations]
[Roya] You're Haadiya, right?
I'm Abdul.
Wait, you're the robot lady. And sure, I'm Haadiya.
You took the test for the robotics team.
It was a joke.
[Roya] Why did you take it then?
Something to do.
Well, your score was no joke.
Sorry, I have to go.
Don't say it.
Say what?
Whatever you are thinking.
You might as well start the Afghan girls ice hockey team,
Afghan girls sailing team, whatever.
None of that. I have an idea for dinner.
We just had lunch.
[door bell rings]
Oh no.
I'd love to just tell you about our plan.
-I can't do it. -Why not?
I can't.
My father is in the army in Helmand.
We only see him once a year.
I have three little sisters and no brothers.
It's just my mother and I.
[Haadiya] I have to help pay for them.
And that's why--
I had to become a boy.
Well, sort of a boy.
[Haadiya] I'm sorry. My mother needs the money.
[gentle music]
You have to let Taara join the team.
[Ahmed] You come to my house and tell me what I have to do.
You have Taara building engines with you
whenever she's not in school.
That's right. It's practical and she likes it.
I do.
Instead of working on engines,
she will be inventing engines.
You think I like saying no?
I just don't want you to get hurt.
If the world were a different place, I would always say yes.
How will things ever change
unless men like you start saying yes.
Every time I say yes there's a cost.
More risk, more worry.
[Roya] I understand--
[Ahmed] How could you? You are a daughter, not a father.
[Roya] I am a daughter. I have a father who said yes to me.
And it gave me wings.
[Roya] And unless more fathers start saying yes,
we will always live in fear.
Is that who we are?
Strong words Miss. Mahboob, from someone so young.
Okay.
Okay. I should leave--
Okay. Taara can join your team.
-That's a yes. -Yes.
[upbeat ethnic music]
Now if you don't mind, I'm going to finish
rebuilding this engine?
Just in case the robots don't make us famous.
Us?
You need tools and the place to work. Right?
That way I can keep an eye on everything.
[Taara] Thank you.
[upbeat music continues]
[gentle music]
[liquid pours]
I called the others, but--
We have to start with who we have.
Washington is five weeks away.
It takes me five weeks to order a part for that motorcycle.
Oh, thank you.
So, let's build this robot.
Where is it?
Oh, our kit is about five kilometers away.
[Arezo] Great. Let's go get it.
But it's stuck in customs
Here.
You said there would be four of us. I only see two.
I wish there were more of us too. I'm sure there will be.
And I promise to keep trying.
Sorry to be late.
[inspirational music]
Meet Haadiya, our third girl.
-Hi. -Hello.
-I guess I'm four then. -Hi.
We are going to Washington.
[upbeat ethnic music]
Until we get the real robot. This will have to do.
Come to me.
Oh no.
It's like a child learning to walk.
First it crawls, then it stands, then it walks.
Then it walks in a straight line. It's the same here.
Every move that the robot does, it comes from your code.
[music continues]
No.
How can it be, no?
I have a text saying that the box is here.
The text lied. Wouldn't be the first time.
As in it's not here, or you won't give it to me.
Come back next week.
It's only temporary until we get our real robot.
[Samir] It looks good.
Don't worry about where you start.
It's where you go.
Wait, where do you want to go?
Me?
Or all of you? What do you want?
Okay, someone's gotta start first.
[laughing]
I really want to go to college
and be a mechanical engineer.
Great. Okay.
[Samir] Okay.
To be a software engineer and start a company.
To go to England for college and then for a PhD in New York.
Also great. Yeah.
I want a Red Mustang convertible.
[Samir] Perfect.
But we don't even have a real robot.
[Samir] You will.
You've got someone fighting for you.
You won't end up where you started.
[upbeat ethnic music]
[cheering and laughing]
Our robot has been in customs for three weeks.
A robot. That thing looks like a weapon to me.
We are waiting for the army to look at it.
The army? No, no, no.
It's not a weapon, it's a, it's a robot kit.
That's what you say. I give it to you.
Something blows up next week. Who gets blamed?
Would somebody sending a weapon ship it through customs?
How stupid would that be?
People do stupid things every day.
I am so sorry to see you go.
We have these. Please use it.
Send me pictures of the team.
Samir,
why do you do this?
-Me? -You.
You know when I first arrived in Berkeley for my PhD,
[Samir] I was really still just a village kid from India
and my advisor, he just won the Fields Medal,
it's like the Nobel Prize for math.
and God, I was so intimidated.
I had this idea for a startup.
And this person,
he just gives me all the money he's won for the medal.
[Samir] All of $15,000 to start my company.
So Roya Mahboob, until we meet again.
And again.
So first, always take off any jewelry.
Now, there are three parts to a weld: your heat source,
your filler metal right here, and your shielding gas.
To do the weld properly--
Say hello to our robot.
[rhythmic music]
That's impossible. I was just there.
[Ali] Well, I have a friend from college,
whose brother works there.
Who just let it go.
Let's just say I won't be playing on my Xbox anytime soon
and I'll need a new laptop.
[Arezo] I thought we were getting a robot.
This is just a pile of parts.
[Ali] It will be a robot once we put it together, somehow.
What do we do first?
They don't tell us. They just list the parts.
[Roya] That's right.
Every team starts at the same place.
That's the competition.
Let's build this.
[upbeat music continues]
Okay. Try to get our girl to weave through.
Not too fast at first.
You're joking.
[Arezo] No.
Let's try again.
[Arezo] No, I beat everyone in Herat in video games,
where the car moves a thousand times faster.
[Ali] Try again.
[gentle music]
[Arezo] No.
Oh, this is too hard.
Okay,
Nobody's born knowing how to do this.
You just have to keep trying.
Why? I'm terrible.
There is this famous Korean football player, Heung-min Son.
You've heard of him?
At every practice he takes 1000 shots on the goal.
He's the greatest Asian football player ever.
And still at every practice another 1000.
The other teams have driven their robots
thousands of times.
They're much better than us, but they won't always be.
[music intensifies]
[Arezo] Come to me.
[Ali] Much, much better.
[Haadiya] Nice, Arezo.
[car honking]
[background construction noises]
[Skype connection tones]
Sorry for all the emails.
You're a very persistent person, Roya.
Yeah, it's just, it's our money.
[Roya] My money really. It won't take us to the finish line,
but we have a first rate team.
No one from the government there is helping.
[Roya] No, nothing from them or anyone else.
I, I know that if we can just get to the competition,
we can win.
It's a tough situation.
Alright, look,
you and Ali train a team that can really compete. And...
I'll get you to Washington.
[Roya] So then you're, you're giving-- you're funding us.
Don't ask. My company will. We'll figure it out.
[Samir] You know why?
I am a very persistent person.
...persistent person.
You are.
[laughing]
The French team is amazing.
Even in this image. The climbing bars
that they're using to try to hang off of hydro,
climbs back into--
Good news.
We looked over your applications
and we've decided to award Roya and Taara US visas.
What? What about everyone else?
[Barbara] The others don't qualify at this time.
This time, no.
We have a competition in three days.
[Barbara] The two of you can go compete.
Good luck.
[receding footsteps]
I thought the hardest part would be convincing your uncle.
How did you do it in the end?
I said if we won, I would become famous
and attract rich husband.
Of course.
I'm going back in.
Won't do any good.
This is crazy.
[Roya] This makes no sense. How can two of us get visas
and not the rest of our team?
You wouldn't send a football team
with only half its players.
We all have to go.
We have our policies.
And many, many people want visas to go to the US
But we have an invitation.
It seems there was an error.
Thank God.
Taara, you've traveled to Iran in the last five years.
My grandmother lives there.
Well, right now we don't allow anyone who's recently been
to Iran to come to the US.
Why not?
That's the policy I'm afraid.
So I'm glad you came back.
The Iranian team is going to be at the same competition.
It's not my concern. I'm sorry to say.
No.
No one got visas except me.
That's insane. But I'm a tech reporter.
This sounds like a political story.
Well you wrote a really nice article on me
when I first got for my startup.
It's kind of you to say. I'm sorry it was so short.
It meant everything to me.
But more than that, you are
the only western journalist that I know.
[gentle guitar music]
Au revoir. I'll see you in Washington, everyone.
[background conversations]
[Ali] It came out!
Oh,
This is Roya.
It's the New York Times.
The US has refused visas for
the Afghan Dreamers Girls robotics team.
[News] Thousands of high school students are arriving here in
Washington this week from around the world.
Robotics teams from Hong Kong to Hungary,
Belgium to The Bahamas.
The Afghan Dreamers.
Four girls from Herat, Afghanistan
have been blocked from traveling here.
Despite the fact that 157 other countries
are competing in Washington.
Some of which, are on this administration's watch list.
Including Iran and Somalia.
The goal of the upcoming competition is
to bring together teens
of nations from across the globe, free of politics.
Why is the United States
even in Afghanistan if we can't give one week long visas
to a team that is promoting education for girls?
How does Roya Mahboob
and her team of teenage girls represent a threat to anyone?
All these people speaking up for us are great, but...
the competition starts the day after tomorrow.
She is STEM for girls there.
[Emma] Afghanistan is a vibrant culture
with some extraordinary people, one of whom is Roya Mahboob.
[Emma] And all she's asking for
is a chance for her girls to come
to the US and be treated as equals.
[music intensifies]
[Ali] Can we go any faster?
We only have 46 minutes before the flight.
I'm trying.
[Roya] Try harder please.
There's only one fight left to Kabul tonight.
If we miss it, we're dead.
[Agent] Have a nice flight.
[Roya] Passports.
Hi. I didn't think we would make it.
[Agent] You're fine. With time to spare.
Ah, six for Kabul.
[Agent] That's your final destination?
And Washington tomorrow morning.
America. Do you have visas?
Yes. Waiting for us in Kabul.
Oh, we only have two seats left.
What?
No, no, no, no. We need six.
I'm sorry.
Alright.
[Agent] I did my best. I'm so sorry.
Can I have everyone's attention please?
You don't know who I am,
but I am the coach
for the Afghan Dreamers girls robotics team.
We have our first competition in Washington
and we need to fly there tomorrow morning.
If, if we don't get on this flight,
we can't go to the competition.
We just need four seats.
Please if, if anyone can help?
Please?
You can have my seat.
Thank you.
And my seat.
Thank You.
And my seat too.
Thank you.
Kabul is a dirty city who want to go there.
Take mine too.
[Roya]Thank you.
[inspirational music]
Great.
We're so happy this worked out.
[girls laughing]
To the plane.
Let's go.
[gentle music]
[background conversations]
[crowd cheering]
Hi, you're Roya, right?
-And team. -Hi.
We're so happy you made it. I'm from the organizing committee.
Hi. Okay, I'll show you around. Come on.
[Chris] So this is the pit area.
Everyone gets a place to work on their robot
and we saved a spot for you.
We also have a practice ring back there,
where you can test your robot.
[Chris] I'm sure you brought your tools,
but if you're missing something just ask the people
around you because around here everyone helps each other. So--
[tools and machines running] [upbeat music]
[Italian chant]
Italia!
Puerto Rico!
Hi, my name is Laurens from Holland.
If you need anything, tools, places to eat around here,
anything we're happy to help.
I'm Ali and this is Taara, Haadiya, Arezo and Esin.
Just let me know.
[upbeat music continues]
Being the only girl in the all-boys team has been
a little, little scary.
I like robots
and all the people that I know here love robots.
In robotics there is no limits.
There is no barrier of any sort.
There's nothing like I'm a girl, I'm a boy.
We always go to each other. Everybody helps each other
[upbeat music continues]
[praying in arabic]
Esin, we'll be fine.
[music slows]
Not that.
I was asking Allah's forgiveness
for touching that boy.
Allah forgives that I'm 100% sure.
The other teams in this competition had their robots
for four months to prepare.
The Afghan girls had theirs for just two weeks.
[indistinct chatter]
We are going to have a good day tomorrow. I can feel it.
We can't embarrass ourselves
and we can't embarrass our country.
Of course we're not going to embarrass our country.
No one is going to be embarrassed.
Have you seen those other teams? They're so good.
It's like they were raised by robots
And they've had months to prepare.
It's not fair.
Girls who said it was going to be fair.
[Roya] It's hard to be from Afghanistan.
It's hard to be women there.
It's hard to have so little time to get ready.
But we are strong.
And we can complain or we can fight.
[crowd cheering]
Welcome to First Robotics, worldwide, robotics competition.
[crowd clapping]
And now alphabetically the teams of our competition.
Afghanistan.
[crowd cheering]
[upbeat music]
China.
Denmark.
France.
And the final team of the night.
Is the home team,
the United States of America.
[music and cheering continues]
We are truly honored to be your judges.
As we look out before us is a sea of students,
from countries across our planet,
united by our love of robots.
[crowd clapping]
But this competition isn't just about robots,
it's about far more.
It's about people achieving their true potential.
And remember, this is the only sport in the world
where every one of you can turn pro.
Let the games begin.
[celebratory upbeat music]
[crowd cheering]
[crowd clapping]
Commentator:This is the first round of the day
for both the Dutch team and team Afghanistan,
who after a long and arduous process
were admitted finally into this competition.
But we're so happy that they're here.
[buzzers]
Announcer: Drivers pick up your controls.
3, 2, 1.
[starting trumpet]
And we are underway here in this gymnasium.
It's absolutely palpable
in terms of the energy that you see in here.
Both of those robots coming out of the starting gate.
working well to get to those corners,
to acquire those blocks,
they're gonna put in the tiers of that middle basin.
And each one of those points incredibly important,
even though it's only a couple minutes of competition,
the action is never ending here.
Great job from the team from Afghanistan.
depositing that cube into that second and middle tier
of that basin, doing an exceptional job
right out, again, of that starting gate.
Do you understand any of this?
Not a thing.
There's nothing that can stop them right now.
Again, working at that second tier
of that middle basin, great job.
But it looks like we've got our right wheels actually stuck
in a little bit of a sticky wicket.
We'll see if we can come out of it right now.
It could be an issue with the drive train,
it could be an issue with the remote sensors.
Looks like the team from Holland
is trying to work with that opportunity presented...
tires in the mud, we'll see if they can come out of it.
This team is working really hard together.
Think of all the time and effort spent to get here.
And they do a great job, overcoming that adversity.
We'll see if they can come out of it.
And out of the stumbling blocks
in the last winning seconds of this match.
It looks like it's coming down to the wire.
We getting that last block.
We're coming into the center, into that basin
and we'll see what we got, we got smiles of confidence.
Announcer: 30 seconds.
Commentator: Both teams coming on in,
trying to acquire as many of those blocks
as humanly possible.
We're trying to get to that middle basin.
We'll see what happens in this final moment.
Great job to the team from Afghanistan.
Exceptional work, as we hear that final buzzer.
[crowd cheers and claps]
So proud.
[girls laughing]
[Laurens] You were so fantastic.
We want you to sign our shirts.
Yeah, of course.
Okay,
[Laurens] And can we sign yours?
Yes, of course.
Announcer: Next up China plays India,
Followed by Spain and South Korea.
Can I sign?
And in the red arena, Colombia versus France,
followed by Italy against Turkey.
[camera clicks]
[background crowd conversations]
[camera clicks]
Thanks.
[crowd cheering]
Our favorite opponents.
Are you nervous?
No.
Well, yes. You?
Yes a lot.
My stomach is full of butterflies
Then I'll be rooting for you and your butterflies.
[crowd clapping]
[crowd cheering]
The world can be a very divided place,
but with the amazing brainpower of you in this room,
we can all come together
and help tackle the world's problems.
Every team here wins in our eyes.
But, we promised you a competition with medals.
[Announcer] So here we go.
The bronze medal goes to...
Team Denmark.
[crowd cheers]
for second place, the judges award the silver medal to...
The great team of China.
[crowd cheers]
We tried, we gave it everything we had.
And before awarding gold, your judges have decided
to award a special silver medal,
the Courageous Achievement award.
And this year's Courageous Achievement award
silver medal goes to...
the Afghanistan girls robotics team.
[crowd cheers]
[joyous music]
and the gold medal goes to...
France.
[crowd cheers]
[Announcer] Let's have one more round of applause
for our four medal winning teams.
[Ambassador] The medal winning Afghan girls robotics team.
We honor your great achievement.
[Ambassador] Your nation is so very, very proud of you.
[audience applauds]
[Roya] Look how beautiful they are.
The girls are so happy.
It's like they won a medal at the Olympics.
Yeah, you actually have to win the race
to get a medal at the Olympics.
Roya, Ali, you have to be in the pictures too.
Come, come, come here.
We showed we can compete, now we have to show we can win.
[audience applauds]
["Anar" by Aryana Sayeed]
[girls laughing]
God was with us. I knew they could do it, and they did.
To our girls.
[applause]
[doorbell rings]
[background conversations]
I have to show you something.
It's not good.
This is my father.
Welcome Rahim.
You must be very proud.
No, I'm not. I'm ashamed.
[Rahim] On my way here,
my son showed me pictures of Esin
touching boys in Washington.
And they're on Facebook where everyone can see.
No one is touching, she signed his shirt.
It's a custom in sports.
Come here, we're leaving.
That sounds very innocent to me. Have some food.
Let's celebrate our girls.
Your daughter is an adult.
My niece is a child.
I should never allowed her to go to America.
This is the Taliban winning.
They want our girls to feel dirty and inferior.
Is that what you want?
I know this would happen. Let's go.
[gentle music]
[phone buzzes]
[ominous music]
Roya,
You shouldn't be walking alone.
I don't care.
It doesn't matter where we go or what we do or accomplish.
We come back here. Everything is exactly the same.
That was sent to Taara's father.
It's from the Taliban.
It says his daughter is a western girl
and if he wants to stay in business,
she has to quit the team.
That was fast.
It's hopeless.
We lost the team.
[ethnic music]
News: There are more than 15,000 US troops here.
News: Many are fighting alongside Afghan soldiers.
News: The Taliban regularly use IED,
improvised explosive devices.
[background conversations]
You too?
What?
I ordered special pastries for you.
You did?
Sure, you won a medal.
[Elaha] Look at that one.
[Ali] There's some great competitions coming up.
[Roya] If we still had a team.
You're young.
You need to see the road ahead.
All I'm seeing is roadblocks. Same as always.
Yes, yes, yes.
It seems terrible,
but I get mad when people say everything is just
the same as it ever was.
Maybe it is.
[Abdul] When the Taliban run things,
my daughters couldn't leave their house without a man.
Women couldn't be on radio or television.
Women could be beaten for not wearing their burqa.
And teenage girls going to school.
That was something for other countries.
But look at how they treat me, worse, the girls.
[Abdul] Badly, but most of them are in their caves
with their goats.
Even if that were true, may not be for long.
I really thought that I could change things.
If the Taliban is mad at you,
that means you have. Just not finished.
That could work.
What are you all doing here?
We won a medal. We're not quitting now.
But your families? Esin, your uncle?
My uncle says I'm horrible and he's washing his hands of me.
Whatever bad thing happens next. It's my business.
[Esin] Maybe we change this just right here.
I'm so sorry about the letter.
-Taara: That's great idea. -Haadiya: Yes.
Not a nice letter. Yeah, same old story.
I understand how you must feel,
about me, about all of this.
From my cousin in Kabul.
He sent enough for all of you.
[inspirational music]
[gasps of excitement]
We can make something like that.
But change the way the arm moves.
That's perfect.
Everyone hates everything around here.
But these girls, they love robots. That's enough.
[music continues]
You are going to build a demining robot out of that?
Some is for me, that stuff is hard to find.
Can we start now?
One competition at a time.
[upbeat music]
Something wrong.
Whatever I program it to do. It just won't move.
Maybe it's a hardware issue.
What? What did you do?
Happy birthday!
But it's tomorrow.
Tomorrow starts now.
["Afghan Pesarak" by Aryana Sayeed]
[girls laughing]
You see what's happening everybody?
[will.i.am] This is what's possible.
Technology and art, engineering and mathematics
all coming together to create and see what teams have seen.
That we can solve our problems with these tools that we have
from science, technology, engineering, arts, and math.
Make some noise if you're excited
to be together and to be here.
["I Gotta Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas]
You'll receive one point for every ball
that goes into the lower basket
and two for the upper basket.
Teams earn points in multiple ways.
But most points--
I'll call as soon as we know.
[Roya] Samir says the board wants to see real performances.
But we have been performing.
Not enough for them.
[Roya]And that if we can make the top five here,
he can convince them
to keep the money coming for a little bit longer.
Samir says that he can get me a job at Apple or Google.
Wow, that's that's great.
It's in California.
I'd have to leave behind our family and everything else.
You might not have a choice.
Then what happens to the girls?
[Roya] Instead of looking for funding,
I should be trying to get them scholarships in the US,
Europe, India, anywhere so that they aren't
trapped if the US leaves.
What, you think they won't leave?
No, not that just
you spend all your time being so positive
with everyone else--
[Roya] but not you.
I know. I'm sorry.
Don't be.
It's my job.
[door opens and closes]
Can you sleep?
["The Time (Dirty Bit)" by Black Eyed Peas]
[Tarra] We shouldn't be here.
We have to get up early.
This is great. Just a little more.
[background conversations] [music continues]
No, we can't go in there.
We're not old enough.
You only have to be 16.
[music continues and builds]
[Ali] Have you seen any girls with head scarfs?
No.
Where are you?
I left messages for Arezo and Esin too. Call me.
[music continues]
You've seen girls with head scarves?
Yeah, the whole group.
[music continues]
What's going on? Let's go.
[Ali] What are you doing?
We couldn't sleep.
Then you lie in bed with your eyes closed.
You know what Roya would say
if she found out you out here by yourselves.
She's not our mother. You're not our father.
Roya's given everything for this team.
Aren't we allowed to have any fun ever?
This whole city's full of happy people, but not us.
Can we just have one time in our lives
without everyone telling us what to do?
[Ali] I'm sure you all feel that way.
I understand.
But not really.
You're not like us.
We want more.
We all do.
[gentle music]
Come on. If we have any chance tomorrow we'll need some sleep.
Don't tell Roya, please.
I think that's a good idea.
Announcer: 15 minutes to start in the red and blue arenas.
Announcer: All scheduled teams
please place your robots into the competition rings.
You looked tired. How'd you sleep?
Great.
Good. I didn't.
How we feeling?
["It's All Golden" performed by Producer3000]
Announcer: Drivers pick up your controls.
Three,
two,
one.
Go!
Commentator: And out of those starting blocks we go
descending onto this field
with those balls intact.
[girls cheering]
These robots larger in size than some others
these teams have historically worked with in the past.
Now!
The team from Afghanistan do an exceptional job
getting these indicators both red and blue and see...
-Go, go, go, go. -Come on, come on, shoot sho--
The Afghan team shooting each one of those markers.
Afghanistan depositing another couple particles in there.
Getting back to their respective corner.
But it looks like right now they're stalled.
Oh no, no.
You think about how grinding it's gotta be to get through
all of the obstacles, mountains and hurdles
just to get to this field of competition.
You got this.
To see that robot stall...
You're the best.
Trying to navigate that tight space.
We'll see if they can land those final points.
[girls cheering]
Last couple of seconds they get those buzzer beaters in.
Great job to team Afghanistan.
[crowd applauds]
The world has far too many borders and walls,
But building robots is not about
the nation which you came from
or whether you are a boy or a girl.
When we build our robots, the walls fade away.
[crowd applauds]
In fifth place.
The amazing performance of team...
Brazil.
[crowd cheers]
[Judge] In fourth place,
and only one point out of third place.
The Afghanistan Dreamers.
[crowd cheers]
[Judge] And coming up is third place...
Just aged five years in five minutes.
[Abdul] There she is. Afghanistan's robot star!
Fourth place.
There's lots of teams and they've got big money.
[Abdul] Where are the girls?
They'll be here soon. Is that okay?
Of course. This is your office.
Did we get the money for New Mexico?
Yes. Yes.
Thank you. Thank you.
[explosion]
[somber music]
[Haadiya] I'm fine. Everyone else?
No, I'm fine. I'm fine.
Ali?
[Roya] Thank God.
Taara!
[somber music continues]
I am so sorry.
[somber music]
[somber music continues]
I've been selfish.
[Roya] I took us all down this road,
but I asked too much of you
and the price is too high to go on.
[Roya] I never knew it would turn out like this.
I'm sorry for everything.
That's it then?
You decide?
I'm thinking for all of us.
But, you are not speaking for all of us.
I have made a huge mistake.
You didn't force us to do anything.
You gave us a chance to be...
more than we could have ever even dreamed.
So you can speak for yourself,
but you don't speak for me.
The bombing. And your father.
It's, it's too much.
He knew what he was doing, what he was getting into,
what he was letting me get into.
He thought it was worth it, to have a chance.
[Taara] He wanted me to do this.
We are strong.
You said it yourself.
[Haadiya] My father and uncle are in the army.
That's how they fight.
We are not children.
We have to fight too. And this is how we do it.
But you are children.
[Esin] No we're not.
What do you want?
To win.
[airplane jet]
["Time To Shine" by Leone]
[crowd cheering]
[girls cheering]
Welcome to the International Robotics
Innovation Championships, Albuquerque.
[crowd cheering]
Now you're all from different nations,
but you have come here today in the hope
that we can together build a better future
through our common language of science
and technology, which connects us all.
[crowd cheering]
And starting tomorrow,
we'll see some of the most exciting
inventions of the next generation of world changers.
These guys.
[crowd cheering]
Now what makes this competition unique,
is that your robots were designed
to address the problems facing our planet today.
And as part of that, there's an important
marketing component to the competition.
Teams will be judged on innovation, effectiveness,
performance, and also
your ability to convince your peers
of the importance of your invention.
And that is the reason that this event is considered
one of the most important robotic competitions
in the world.
[crowd cheering]
And I wish you...
the best of luck.
They said to check back in the morning.
How is everyone?
Our robot still hasn't come.
Oh, oh no. I'm so sorry.
It's on its way.
Well you're going to be ready, right?
100%.
-Alright, good. -Great.
-Goodnight. -See you in the morning.
Can we get something to eat?
Wait, where are we going for dinner? Still jet lagged.
It's just like Washington again.
We're behind before we start.
We'll be fine.
Okay, here's what we do.
We get our robot first thing in the morning.
Ali, Esin, Haadiya, and Arezo
will make sure it's up and running.
At the same time,
Taara will go around
and tell the teams about our robot
for the marketing part of the score.
-Good? -Good.
But?
I wish I was just doing the robot.
I know.
But it's a quarter of our points.
One of the greatest-- No.
Biggest is better I think.
Okay. One of the biggest dangers
to people in the world are landmines.
78 countries have unexploded landmines.
Last year close to 10,000 people were hurt or killed.
And most were people not fighting in the wars.
Do you know how many are children?
[Taara] Oh, I forgot to say that.
Okay.
Almost half the civilians who die are children.
Something else I missed.
Just, I could never do what you're doing.
Sure you could.
[Taara] You must be so tired of hearing this.
One of the biggest dangers
to people in the world are landmines.
78 countries have unexploded landmines.
[upbeat music]
Good morning teams.
The cafeteria is now serving breakfast on level two.
One of the biggest dangers
to people in the world are landmines.
78 countries have unexploded--
How's it going?
I'm so nervous.
Don't be. You'll be fine.
You are also an engineering professor, right?
Yes, I am. How do you know that?
[Esin] We looked you up. We're really impressed.
Don't be.
- Is it ever hard for you standing in front of
so many students all looking at you?
Yes. It's terrifying.
You're gonna be great. Really.
Japan in 10 minutes.
We're from the Afghan team.
Our robot was supposed to be here two days ago.
Hi, I wish I could help you.
Are you sure it was sent here?
Yeah, definitely. Our cousin Hamid sent it himself.
601 Second Street, Northeast, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Oh, this is 601 Second Street, Northwest.
It's probably back at the warehouse.
Our robot fish can swim in a harbor
and detect illegally dumped pollutants.
Their is sonar in her head, so the fish can see underwater.
And inside is a computer.
Traditional water robots use propellers or thrusters,
but we are using the fish's fin for propulsion.
If we succeed, we can help heal oceans everywhere.
[crowd applauding]
[cart rolling in]
Thank God.
Good luck.
They must have torn it apart in customs.
Is everything here though?
This right side door's pretty bent,
but I think we'll be able to bend it back.
Look at the extender arm.
The whole robot depends on this.
Back home I could make a new one in an hour.
That doesn't help us.
[intense music]
Radio: It is a rocket, right at Garcia...
We need a garage.
A garage? To park?
[Taara] Where they fix cars? The closest one.
[Roya] Right here. Nine minutes.
[tire screeches]
Okay. Okay. We have 90 minutes. Let's start building.
Commentator: Let's celebrate science and technology.
Let's celebrate this kind of work.
And we have to create the next generation of problem solvers.
Which is why we don't call this a competition.
This is a 'coop'etition. Most of the robots are gonna lose.
All the kids are gonna win.
Thank you.
[Roya] How much do I owe you?
[spanish music]
[Taara] I need to fix this.
Oh, Chica. Where'd you come from?
[Taara] Afghanistan. I need a part
and your welder. We can pay.
[Jesus] Hector.
Hey, yo. Check this out, man.
This chica just rolled up from Afghanistan.
Afghanistan?
[Jesus] Hey, there's two of them.
Do you have a welder?
[Jesus] Do we have a welder?
[Jesus] Listen to this. Yeah, we got a welder.
Can we use it? We'll pay you for it.
You know how to weld?
[Roya] No, not me, but she does.
This little girl welds?
[Greek folk music]
Arezo finish building with me.
Esin, Haadiya, you're going to have to talk to other teams.
That's what Taara does. She's the talker. Not us.
I'm a hardware person.
I'm a software person.
We need Taara to do this. That's always been the plan.
Taara's been practicing. She knows what to say.
So do you.
I can't.
I really can't.
[spanish music]
My name is Roya.
Oh, my name is Jesus.
Ah, Jesus.
Your name is Jesus. Like the Christian prophet?
Yeah. You got a problem with that?
No, my father's name is Mohammed.
Huh? There you go.
[upbeat music]
I can't do this.
Can I show you something?
Sure.
[Haadiya] Something...
Something that I,
-[Petra] Oh, I'm sorry. -Esin...
What she-- I...
What we wanted to say, is that our robot is
for mines to...
One of the biggest dangers
to people in the world are landmines.
Our robot doesn't stop the mines from working.
That's for, for...
-the army? -Yes.
The army.
Our robot finds the mines and it's very light.
So light that it won't set off the small mines
by rolling over them.
Those are the most common mines in Afghanistan.
And the world.
Our robot has a metal detector
and when it finds something in the dirt,
it automatically stops.
Not clear to you.
No, no. It's all It's fantastic.
Really?
Yeah.
Our cane uses laser-based tech,
which measures the distance to obstacles in a path.
This wheel in front guides the person with impaired vision
by gently pulling them to the left or right
and around obstacles to take them wherever they want to go.
Our robotic cane will be highly affordable.
There are over 250 million people in the world
with impaired vision.
And we hope to improve the lives of
as many people as we can.
[crowd applauds]
And then this arm moves back and forth.
That's existing technology. We didn't make that.
You want a soda?
Yeah.
Can I use this?
Sure, chica. Whatever basura you find.
What?
Trash. It's yours.
Thank you.
Any news?
Oh, we're working on it.
Well, you have 35 minutes.
If you're not ready by then,
the rules are, you'll have to forfeit.
No, we'll be ready. I, I promise.
-Hector. -Yeah. Yeah.
Do the weld, man.
No, I know exactly how it needs to be done.
Sheilding gas.
Okay. Okay.
[Taara] Where's the helmet?
She always like this?
[Taara] I need gloves.
She lost her father recently.
What happened?
Um, a bombing.
[Hector] Put this on.
No.
Hector hot that thing up, bro. Come on man. Move it.
-Taara: Come on. -I'm moving. I'm moving.
Okay. How much time do you guys have?
25 minutes. Less.
Let's do it.
Our robot, Peggy, is intended for search and rescue missions.
There is great values for robots to have legs so
that they can get to places where wheels would get stuck.
With our robot, we can be a part of rescue efforts
and help save the lives of those
that have been injured or trapped.
[crowd applauds]
[Esin] My family who live on farms.
They have to go out to the fields every day,
but they don't know where the mines are.
My cousin died from a mine. She was 13.
My country too. We have many mines.
Where are we?
Done.
Oh yes.
[upbeat music continues]
Convention center, right?
Yes.
Come on, get in.
[Jesus] Let's go.
Esin was so good.
Not really.
Where's Roya and Taara?
Coming. Don't worry.
[Hector] You really from Afghanistan?
Yes.
I did a tour in the army there in 2005. The Korangal Valley.
Really? We heard all about that.
Lost a lot of friends near this place called Quam.
I'm sorry.
And you girls are building robots?
Yes. We love it. We study computers too.
That's good. That's good. It's a pretty country.
It never got old flying over it.
And nice people too, like you and the lady.
[upbeat music]
[Jesus] Good luck in there.
Thank you.
Thank God.
Oh, thank God.
[Roya] How much time do we have left?
Two minutes.
-Oh no. -We can do this.
How did it go telling the other teams?
[Haadiya] Esin was amazing.
-[Esin] I wasn't. -She really was.
Ah,
Okay. There we go.
Right there.
Next up, Team Afghanistan.
[Jessica] Team Afghanistan.
I'm afraid the Afghan team will have to forfeit.
[Roya] We're here, we're here.
[Roya] We're here. We're here.
Happily. The Afghan team has arrived.
[crowd applauds]
-Jessica: Whose speaking? -Ali: Taara.
[background conversations]
Esin, you do it.
I can't.
Didn't you go around telling all the other teams?
Yes, but I...
You'll be great.
-Roya: Okay...Yes. -Arezo: Are you ready?
[Haadiya] One, two, three.
[pensive music]
Oh, you came.
I wouldn't miss it for anything.
We're the Afghan girls robotics team.
And...
and...
Come on.
And we have made a mine detection robot.
[Esin] Many thousands of adults and children
are killed every year by landmines.
The most common is where, if you step on it,
the mine explodes.
Our robot is designed for them. Arezo...
It's inexpensive to build and easy to assemble.
So anyone can build them out of old car parts.
At the front of the robot, is a metal detector.
Once the mine is identified, the robot beeps,
and marks the spot with paint.
We don't remove the mines. That's for the army.
[Esin] But knowing where they are
is the most important thing.
And as the robot moves, it paints out lines to show
where it is checked for mines and where it's now safe to go.
We hope that we can produce lots of these robots one day.
[Esin] We will also give the design
to people in other countries
so they can build these robots themselves.
Our goal is to save lives all over the world.
[crowd cheering]
[Jesus whoops]
Good luck.
You too.
[crowd cheering]
[Jessica] The great Isaac Newton said
in his first law of physics.
A body at rest tends to stay at rest.
A body in motion tends to stay in motion.
And all of you here, are in motion.
And are leading us into the future of science
in a way which brings us all so much hope.
[crowd applauds]
Today was a competition and a game in some way.
But it's also serious business.
Because in our times we are confronted
with tremendous challenges, global warming,
environmental destruction, wars and more.
It'll be up to your generation to face them.
And today, you have risen to that challenge
with imagination and brilliance.
Thank you.
Well, I suppose now you want to hear the winners.
Oh...
Ready?
[Jessica] The bronze medal goes to
a team whose technology has the potential
to help rescue people in the most difficult circumstances.
The great team from Pennsylvania.
[crowd cheering]
Nice work.
Now for the silver medal.
This goes to a team whose innovative robot cane,
will change the lives
of millions of visually impaired people.
Please congratulate this amazing team from California.
[crowd cheering]
-Oh, -Elaha: oh no.
And finally the gold medal.
Now today's winner will surprise no one
who has paid close attention
to the inventions in this hall today.
The gold medal goes to...
The Afghan girls robotics team.
[crowd cheers and applauds] [inspirational music]
Congratulations, very well done.
Congratulations, so deserved.
Congratulations to you, very nicely done.
-Congratulations, well done. -Thank you.
Congratulations.
Congratulations. Excellent.
Good work, Congratulations.
[Jessica] I'd like to say a huge thank you to
the International Robotics
Innovation Championships, Albuquerque.
Congratulations to all of our winners. Thank you.
Go Afghanistan!
You did it. You. You did it.
We all did it.
[inspirational music continues]
Huge thank you to you who turned out and supported.
[music fades]
["We Believe In Hope" by Jeff Beal,
ft. Aryana Sayeed, and Brooklyn Girls Choir]