The competition offers around 20 groups of schoolchildren the opportunity to test the robots they designed, built and programmed against each other. The competition includes the categories “Parking robots” and “Rescue robots”. To enter the first category, students have to develop a steerable vehicle which can park itself without touching other objects. “Rescue robots” are autonomous robots which can overcome obstacles and find, pick up and place down objects. The robots must be designed, constructed and programmed by the student teams themselves. The winners are rewarded with high-quality prizes. Visitors are very welcome, and entry is free.
The Karlsruhe School Robotics Cup is an event organised by the fischertechnik-AG group of the Bismarck Gymnasium under the auspices of the Schülerakademie Karlsruhe e.V. and with the support of the CyberForum e.V. The event is sponsored by fischertechnik GmbH. The School Robotics Cup is designed to raise awareness of the technical education available in the technology region of Karlsruhe and to promote the formation of Technik-AGs (technology initiatives) in schools. Given the current complaints about a lack of skilled employees in engineering, this initiative is one particularly worth supporting.
It is, of course, very important that the technologically minded younger generation are supported, and we are pleased to contribute to this. We provide in-house training and offer internships and student jobs. These give young people insights into the IT industry and are designed to inspire them to choose a career in the field. The Karlsruhe Robotics Cup provides a great opportunity for the next generation of amateurs with an interest in IT and electronics to test their knowledge. This type of initiative, however, must be supported, particularly financially, and this is an area in which we are pleased to provide assistance.
We are currently donating 2,500 euros to the Weinbrenner Primary School, which will also take part in a Robotics Cup competition for primary schools from next year. Our donation has been used to purchase fischertechnik construction kits to allow the students to prepare for the contest.