Robot Science in Burgos

On 12 May last Burgos showed its most technological face to the world, hosting the 2nd Asti Robotics Challenge in the Human Evaluation Museum (Museo de la Evaluacion Humana: MEH). This second collaborative mobile robotics challenge outstripped the attendance figure of the previous year, bringing together nearly 200 participating students and a total audience of over 1800.

The competition is organized by the ASTI Talent & Tech Foundation with the collaboration of MEH itself, ASTI Mobile Robotics and the charity arm (Obra Social) of the bank La Caixa, and with the support of GMV.

The participants’ main task is to build a mobile robot in teams. The result is first presented on social media and then put through its paces in each leg of the challenge.

ASTI’s R&D team designs the 12 tests to be taken on by 37 teams from the 10th grade and post-secondary vocational training plus 8 teams from universities and post-baccalaureate training, adding up to a total of 45 teams from the regions of Castilla y León, Madrid and Cantabria.

Twenty four referees and 100 volunteers helped to put on the 7 hours of tests in this challenge. At the same time the venue also hosted the Robot-Sumo league for highly gifted primary and high-school pupils, thanks to the collaboration of La Caixa’s Obra Social and the association Multiple High-Capacity Intelligences of Castilla y León (Inteligencias Múltiples Altas Capacidades de Castilla y León: IMACCYL).

The teams had to submit their projects to a 13-person jury including Mariella Graziano (Manager of GMV’s Space and Robotics Segment) and other members such as Verónica Pascual (CEO of ASTI TechGroup), Antonio Fernández (CEO of Asti Consulting Services), Antonio Blasco (General Manager of Asti Mobile Robotics) and Emma Fernández (member of the governing board of ASTI TechGroup).

Prizes were awarded in four categories: best competing school; best project management; best robot in the GMV sumo tests and best tournament performance.