What happened this weekend in Kalisz was much more than a robot competition. This is an investment in the generation that will define our technological future. Here is our report and reflections after the 3rd edition of the Kalisz NEURON Robotics League.
What will you find in the article?
- A festival of passion and engineering flair - report from the event
- Future competences in practice
- Why do we invest in young talents? Our perspective
- NEURON Academy and Foundation – more than education
1. Festival of passion and engineering flair - report from the event
On Saturday, June 14, the hall of the University of Kalisz was filled with the buzz of conversations, the clanking of building blocks and the quiet hum of electric motors. It's here, during 3rd edition of the Kalisz NEURON Robotics League, which we were proud to partner with, nearly 70 young designers fought for the title of the best. The atmosphere was electrifying – full of focus, healthy competition and pure joy of creation.
Participants competed in two demanding categories: Sumo and Robot Game. In the first one, autonomous robots fought to push their opponent out of the black ring, which required perfect sensor programming and a flawless strategy. In Robot Game, precision was important - the machines had to perform a series of complex tasks on the design mat, such as moving objects or following a designated route. As observers, we saw something more than fun in these struggles - we saw the seeds of true engineering passion.
2. Competencies of the future in practice
Events such as the Robotics League are extremely valuable because they practically develop the skills that define today's job market. In our daily work with automation and artificial intelligence, we see how quickly the technological landscape is changing. Skills that were niche a decade ago are now becoming standard. It's not just about "hard" knowledge anymore, but about the ability to use it creatively.
- Complex problem solving: Participants did not receive ready-made instructions. They had to independently analyze the problem, design a solution, test it and iteratively improve it.
- Critical and analytical thinking: Why isn't the robot working as it should? Where is the error in the code or design? These are questions that young engineers have asked themselves dozens of times.
- Creativity and innovation: The best teams were those that were able to think outside the box, finding non-obvious ways to accomplish tasks.
- Teamwork and Leadership: Everyone in the design team had a role – leader, programmer, designer. Success depended on their cooperation, communication and mutual support.
It is through programming in Minecraft, designing games in Roblox or constructing robots on the Arduino platform that young people learn logic, algorithms and the basics of coding in a way that is natural and exciting to them.
3. Why do we invest in young talents? Our perspective
Our involvement in supporting the Kalisz Robotics League is not accidental. This is part of a broader strategy to support local education and build a technology community. We are convinced that by investing in the development of young people, we are investing in capital that will pay off in the future - for them, for the region and for the entire industry.
Our goal is to build bridges between education and business. We want to show young people that their passion can become a satisfying job in the future, and that their talent is needed and appreciated in our region.
We act consistently in this area, also through patronage of the "Electronics Engineer of the Year" competition organized by the Technical and Electronics School Complex and the organization of our own Hackathon for high school students. We believe that creating opportunities to experience technology in practice is the best way to inspire future IT leaders.
4. NEURON Academy and Foundation – more than education
It is the heart and brain of the entire endeavor NEURON Robotics Academy and those acting alongside it NEURON Foundation. Their approach to education is extremely modern and effective. Instead of repetitively repeating instructions, they focus on creative pursuit of the goal. Working in teams, students independently set goals and strive to achieve them, which builds their self-confidence and sense of agency.
The activities of the NEURON Foundation have a multi-generational dimension - on the one hand, they look to the future, cooperating with key partners, such as the Center for the Support of Crafts, Dual and Vocational Education in Kalisz. On the other hand, they cultivate the history of technology by working on an ambitious project to build a museum of retro computers.
This comprehensive approach, combining passion, professional education and community building, deserves the highest recognition. We are happy to be part of this mission.
