The finals of the Robot Week in Rybnik
Robot Week in the European City of Science Katowice 2024 has come to an end. The finale of this event took place in Rybnik on the premises of the historic Ignacy Mine. Shows and workshops for the youngest, as well as lectures and debate on the use of robots have been prepared.
On Sunday, November 17, the Ignacy Mine in Rybnik turned into a training ground for robots. Participants could admire remote controlled robots made of LEGO bricks, but also drones and equipment using virtual and augmented reality. The shows attracted both the youngest and the elderly. Children and young people also had the opportunity to participate in robotic workshops.
“The kids could make a robotic hand, a cosmic key ring and see what pollution testing is all about,” said Joanna Grecka-Otremba from the Young Scientist Club at the School and Facilities Complex No. 1 in Katowice, who led the workshops.
The culmination of the Sunday finale of the Robot Week was the debate entitled “Robotics in Education: “The future of Education or the Technological Revolution?”
“We are planning two panels, one dedicated to wheeled and ground-based robotics, and the other will be related to drone technologies and the use of drones in logistics and transport. The directors of educational institutions in Rybnik and the Mayor of Rybnik himself and representatives of industry will participate in the discussion panels” – announced Dr Eng. Aldona Rosner, Curator of the Week.
"I personally believe that robots should be used in teaching, as a help and support in teaching, and not as a substitute for a teacher," she added.
Piotr Tokarz, the director of the Technical School Complex in Rybnik, was also a supporter of the use of robots in education.
“We train robots, so we already use such equipment every day. We believe that theory is important, it cannot be excluded from education but enriching it with a practical aspect with the use of robots is most beneficial for students” – said Piotr Tokarz.
The advantages of using robots and drones not only in education, but also in the activities of the local government are noticed by Piotr Kuczera, the Mayor of Rybnik, who believes that it is necessary to teach the possibilities of using modern technologies from an early age and show what support they can be, and not exclusion for people at work. In Rybnik, automation and robotics has been used by the magistrate for a long time.
“In urban policy, we already use drones, among others, in the actions of the City Guards. Soon, such possibilities will be expanded with geodetic services related to spatial and investment planning. I dream that a drone using artificial intelligence would be able to calculate all matters related to a given plot – the costs of connecting the media, the state of ownership, qualification in the development plan, thanks to which the investor would receive all the necessary information on one printout, which would save him time and stress” – said Piotr Kuczera.
Visitors to Robot Week could see for themselves how drones work today. During the demonstrations, the skills of manoeuvring, transporting, and moving in the airspace of small and large aircraft were presented.
fot. Jan Szady, Katarzyna Siwczyk
