The preparation of the children for the competition, which was held on July 1 at the basketball court in Galati, was hard and arduous, as the children, even after the end of the school year, trained on a daily basis for three to four hours.

During the competition, the robot, built and programmed by the team of children, had to complete a series of tasks on a track. The robot first had to collect and sort four pieces of fruit in a green square. The robot then had to move the fruit to different positions according to their appearance within 2 minutes. When a robot performed all of the above tasks correctly, it scored 120 points. In the National Final, the children completed the task by correctly performing all the tasks in 65 seconds and scored the maximum, 120 points.

The first place filled the children with joy, as they achieved a very important distinction, making their parents and classmates proud. However, the excitement faded quickly and the landing was actually abrupt. The freight costs for moving the mission to the Asian country are not covered anywhere, so the high costs have to be borne by the parents themselves, which at first thought is extremely difficult. The first contacts of the Parents with potential supporters were not met with a response and now the anxiety is evident as to whether the trip will be able to take place.

Hercules Chotras is a member of the RoboEinsteins team and, naturally, he is very happy for his and his classmates’ effort and success, but at the same time he is quite reserved about the team’s trip to Thailand. Read what he told AMARUSIA about the competition and what he expects next:

“From the beginning we made good time and scored all the points. We weren’t afraid that we might lose because the people we were in danger of being beaten by were our classmates from the other team in the school, so we would have been happy anyway. I had a bet with the girls on the team that if we won I would buy them ice cream! I still haven’t done it yet, but I owe them. The results have just been announced. We were very happy and excited. We expected to be high, but even if we didn’t win, it’s the effort that counts. It was crazy, but sometimes crazy happens. My role is to direct the robot from the right side to execute the mission. I’m the only boy on the team, but I’m not the leader. We are all one. When I found out that the Olympiad is in Thailand, I knew roughly where it was on the map, but not exactly. On the mission, if we go, I’m going with Mom. If we don’t go, I’ll be sad, but I won’t give up. But we hope we make it, and if we go, we’ll work hard, do our best, and whatever we accomplish will be important. I can’t wait to meet the Chinese. They’re way ahead of us technologically. I think I’ll learn a lot just being there. I’ve been learning Chinese for a year now, and I hope the few words I know will help me.”

Anyone who wishes to contribute to the effort of the children, can contact Mr Prodromou Nikos: phone number 6972255907.

The history of the Competition

The Educational Robotics Competition is organized by the non-profit Educational Robotics & Robotics Organization & Science WRO Hellas, founded ten years ago with the aim of introducing educational robotics, as well as the broader STEM (Science – Technology – Engineering – Mathematics) methodology, into the official educational system of Greece.

It is a member of the corresponding global organization and undertakes the organization of two separate competitions for all educational levels: the Panhellenic Educational Robotics Competition which takes place in two phases (October – March) and the Educational Robotics Olympiad – WRO™ (March – July). The teams that qualify from the Educational Robotics Olympiad – WRO™ make up the Greek Olympic Delegation that takes part in the World Robot Olympiad, which this year will be hosted in Thailand next November. The process is a long one and particularly interesting for children who try for months and work hard to excel at the highest level.

The Educational Robotics Olympiad – WRO™ is a qualifying competition, through which every year the teams that represent our country in the World Robot Olympiad are selected. The Educational Robotics Olympiad – WRO™ is organized by WRO Hellas since 2009 and follows exactly the educational and competitive standards of the World Robot Olympiad. The competition topics are translated and announced in Greece in March each year, while the final of the WRO™ Educational Robotics Olympiad is held every July. The winning teams qualify to participate in the World Robot Olympiad, which is hosted by a different country each year.

This is an extremely important global event for science, technology and education. WRO brings together children and young people from all over the world to help them develop their creativity and problem-solving skills by participating in challenging and creative educational robotics competitions.

To participate in the competition, interested parties are invited to form teams of two or three children. Participating teams are invited to design, build and program a robot that will either be used in track tests (Regular category) or simulate a science related to this year’s theme of sustainable development (Open category).