UDIT, protagonist in the final of the ASTI Robotics Challenge
More than 100 young people from all over Spain gathered this Saturday in Burgos to compete in the grand final of the ASTI Robotics Challenge, an educational programme promoted by the ASTI Foundation, which has become the most important educational robotics tournament in Spain.
This ninth edition has counted with more than 500 students and 160 teams from more than 20 cities, and has culminated with a day that highlighted the emerging talent in areas such as programming, mechanics and artificial intelligence. UDIT, University of Design, Innovation and Technology, was represented by four teams, made up of students from the degrees of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, and Full-Stack Development.
In addition, Javier Pascual, director of the International Campus of Technology, Innovation and Applied Sciences, and Javier Sanz, director of the Department of Product Design and User Experience of the University, formed part of the jury of experts in charge of evaluating the finalist projects.
The final was also attended by the Mayoress of Burgos, Cristina Ayala, and the president of ASTI Foundation, Verónica Pascual. At the opening of the event, Verónica Pascual encouraged the young participants to follow the path of technology, contributing to build with their talent a "more prosperous future for Spain", while she remarked that ASTI Robotics Challenge has the support of companies and educational institutions "very committed" with the development of STEM talent, as it is the case of UDIT.
A historic final
The final in Burgos puts the finishing touch to the greatest of the editions held so far, composed by the thirty teams that qualified in the semifinals held in March in Madrid (Campus of Technology, Innovation and Applied Sciences of UDIT), Malaga, Zaragoza and Valladolid.
All of them had to put their robots to the test in tests such as line following, can tossing and the Sumo tournament. For the first time, the participants also competed in a theoretical challenge that applied robotics to solving real problems in society. The chosen theme was "Safe transport of green hydrogen".
In Category 1 of the competition (aimed at students in the 3rd and 4th years of ESO, Baccalaureate and Intermediate Vocational Training), the Ojeda Robotics team from Palencia stood out by winning two awards: the Prize for Best Robot in the Sumo Tournament and the Prize for Best Performance in the Tournament.
In Category 2 (Higher Vocational Training and university students), the Byteme team from Valencia was awarded the Best Robotics Project Award, while Projectburu from Burgos won a double distinction: Best Robot in the Sumo Tournament and Best Performance of the Tournament.
The ASTI Robotics Challenge takes place throughout the school year and offers students the opportunity to manage a real robotics project, including the design and construction of the robot as well as the planning, financing and presentation of the project. In addition to technical skills, the programme promotes transversal skills such as resilience, communication and teamwork.
The ASTI Foundation was born in 2017 from the awareness of the important challenges posed by the era of digital transformation, at a time when industry is finding it increasingly difficult to find STEM profiles and with the certainty that the professionals of the future will be key to this transformation. For UDIT, collaborating with initiatives such as the ASTI Robotics Challenge is a natural way to contribute to the development of the STEM ecosystem in Spain.
