10 years of the Roberta Challenge: a milestone for promoting young talent in robotics

What began in 2014 as an idea developed by pupils themselves has now developed into one of the best-known and most successful robot competitions for young people. The anniversary celebrations in the atrium of Leibniz Universität Hannover will not only look back on ten years full of innovations and challenges, but also present the new version of the RITA kit - a school robot system that has the potential to change the way technology and programming are taught in the long term.

Roberta RegioZentrum Hannover: 10 years of passion for robotics

Hanover Region

The Roberta RegioZentrum Hannover (RRZ) was founded in 2013 and is now the oldest robotics project in the Hannover Region. Supported by the Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis and Information Systems (IAIS) and funded by the Hannover Region since the beginning, the RRZ focuses on inspiring young people, especially girls, with a lasting enthusiasm for technology. The aim of the center is to bring robotics and computer science into schools and to enable teachers to integrate these topics into their lessons.

At the heart of this is the Roberta Challenge - a school competition organized by young people for young people. Since it was first held in 2014, the challenge has developed steadily and has become a real highlight for schools in the Hannover region. This year, over 150 pupils are expected to take part in 41 teams, plus 4 teams of teachers who are also taking on the challenge.

The Roberta Challenge: Innovation through teamwork and creativity

What makes the Roberta Challenge so special is the creative and interactive approach with which pupils are introduced to the world of robotics. The participants develop their own mobile robot in the run-up to the competition, which they have to test on a course on the day of the competition. The challenges are only announced on the day of the competition and are designed in such a way that they can be solved within the given time frame.

The competition is aimed at pupils from the 5th grade and offers several categories to suit different age groups and experience levels:

• Junior (5th and 6th grade): Entry into the world of robotics for young inventors
• Senior (7th to 10th grade): More challenging tasks for older pupils
• Teacher: A special category for teachers who compete with their own robots
• KREATIV Challenge: An innovative category that particularly appeals to girls. The aim here is to combine robotics with music and creative stories.

Particularly noteworthy is the KREATIV Challenge, which encourages girls to develop their creativity through robotics. In this category, the participants build and program a LEGO robot, which is presented in a self-developed story on a given topic.

Since the first editions, the number of participants has increased every year. What began in 2014 with just five teams has now grown to 41 teams with over 150 participants, underlining the high level of acceptance and success of the Roberta Challenge.

The school-ready version of the RITA kit: a new milestone

Hanover Region

Another highlight of this year's event is the presentation of the RITA kit - an innovative educational robot for schools. In collaboration with Arduino, a flexible system has been developed that enables pupils of all ages to immerse themselves in the world of robotics.

The RITA kit is specially designed for use in schools and offers a "growing" concept. It can be used over several school years as it supports both block-based and text-based programming. This allows pupils to be challenged with increasingly complex tasks as they progress. In addition to the robot itself, the set also contains learning materials and hardware extensions that enable simple and meaningful integration into the classroom.

A festive start to the 10th anniversary

Hanover Region

The 10th Roberta Challenge was officially opened on November 22, 2024. Ulf-Birger Franz, Head of the Hannover Region's Department of Economic Affairs, Transport, Education and Culture, gave the welcoming address and celebrated the anniversary together with the participants. Special thanks go to all those who have contributed to the success of this extraordinary project over the past ten years - especially to the dedicated students, whose ideas and visions provide new inspiration every year, and not least to Ina May, founder and director of the Roberta RegionZentrum, who actively supports the students year after year.

The Roberta Challenge is not just a competition, but an important educational project that awakens a passion for technology and innovation in young people and lays the foundations for a future in which they actively shape the digital world as creative thinkers and developers.