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Robotex MRC 2024, Cyprus’ largest educational robotics festival, concluded successfully on the weekend of June 29-30.
The event, organized by the Cyprus Computer Society (CCS) and held at the University of Cyprus Sports Centre, attracted hundreds of participants and thousands of visitors.
At the grand opening ceremony, Cyprus Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Nikos Christodoulidis inaugurated the 7th Pan-Cyprus Robotex Robotics Competition on behalf of President Nikos Christodoulidis.
A major expansion was the launch of the Minos Robotics Games (MRC) this year, which the deputy minister described as an exciting development that showcases young people’s engagement with technology.
Also in attendance was Andreas Efstathiou, Vice Chairman of the Board of the Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF) and President of the European University Cyprus. As a Diamond Sponsor, RIF plays a vital role in supporting Robotex MRC 2024, which Efstathiou said “fosters a culture of research, innovation and technology, which is essential for developing future talent.”
After the welcome speech, the President of the Cyprus Computer Society, Costas Agrotis, introduced the representatives of the co-organizers, including Maria Militiadou, Deputy Director of the Youth Organization, Vasos Vassiliou, Associate Professor and Vice-Rector of the Department of Informatics at the University of Cyprus, as well as representatives of the Cyprus IET and the Greek Organization for Educational Robotics.
The competition itself was an event of innovation, attracting over 600 roboticists from all over Cyprus to compete in over 25 robotics challenges. The enthusiastic crowd included parents, friends and technology enthusiasts who enjoyed a series of robotics competitions, interactive technology exhibitions and a variety of fun activities.
To highlight the theme of inclusion, primary school students showcased robotics projects aimed at promoting a more inclusive society through technology. The event also featured line-following, folk racing, maze navigation and archery competitions, as well as the much-anticipated drone race.
The festival continued on Sunday with a dance performance by students from the Elena Clark Dance School. Drone competitions included a new sumo challenge, a 15-meter rally track competition, and a novel robotic shot put event. Notably, the Girls Firefighting Challenge was designed to inspire more girls to explore STEAM fields.
The audience was treated to memorable moments as Bank of Cyprus’ Transformer interacted with Neapolis University’s robot dog Laika, while students from the Pascal English School presented a conversational Einstein robot for the first time.
Also impressive was the Robotex Cyprus Kypruino, a unique limited edition Arduino Uno board made in Cyprus, which was on display at the Robo.com.cy stand.
In addition, there was an interactive booth with new technologies from the youth organization Makerspace, robot hand-painting from Novatex and the NGO ECECT team, and educational product LEGO Education from O3-Out of the Ordinary.
The Cyprus Information Association booth showcased the drone Steam from European projects Emphasys and InvesTech from Cyric.
Hosts Savvas Constantinou and Andria Zanti brought a youthful energy to the event.
The event was organized by the Cyprus Scientific Services Board, in partnership with the University of Cyprus, Youth Organisations and the Cyprus Chapter of the IET, under the patronage of President Nikos Christodoulides, and with the support of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth and the Cyprus Association for Science and Technology (Etek).
Additionally, the event is supported by technology partner XM and youth supporter Bank of Cyprus, while Neapolis University, SAT Greece and Huawei are gold and silver sponsors.
It is worth noting that more than 100 volunteers and judges, as well as members of the organizing committee and scientific committee of Robotex MRC Cyprus respectively, worked pro bono for the effective organization of the festival.
The event sets the stage for the upcoming ceremony to present the winners in October. The winning teams will advance to the international competition in Crete in April 2025 and Robotex in Estonia in December 2024, continuing Cyprus’ tradition of excellence in robotics.
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