At the June 17 Bethpage Board of Education meeting, trustees and administrators were treated to an inspiring presentation from Bethpage High School sophomore Partap Sidhu, who recently earned national recognition for his innovation in robotics.
Partap was invited to share details about his award-winning project from the prestigious 75th annual Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (Regeneron ISEF), which took place at the end of May in Columbus, Ohio. Competing against thousands of student researchers from around the globe, Partap won 4th place in the Robotics and Intelligent Machines category.
His project, titled “A Humanoid Upper Body for Automating Hazardous Tasks,” addresses the urgent need for safer, more cost-effective robotic solutions in high-risk work environments. Partap explained that industries often turn to robotics to reduce the dangers faced by human workers—but these robotic systems can be prohibitively expensive. His project presents a low-cost, highly effective alternative.
During the board meeting, Partap delivered a PowerPoint presentation and showcased his robot in action through video demonstrations. He also brought the robot itself, giving board members a firsthand look at its capabilities. Built for just $897, Partap’s humanoid design can perform complex tasks with 97% average accuracy in both lab and recycling settings—an impressive feat when compared to commercial models, which can cost anywhere from $30,000 to $2.5 million.
Partap’s success at ISEF earned him not only a $600 scholarship, but also a special invitation from the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University to attend a residential summer engineering camp of his choice in 2026.
The Board of Education expressed its admiration and pride in Partap’s accomplishments, applauding both his ingenuity and his commitment to making technology more accessible and impactful.
To learn more about Partap’s project, visit this link.
