At RoboFest, schoolchildren and students compete in robot control, earning points for accuracy, speed, and engineering tasks. The article explains how rounds are judged, why the Engineering Book matters, and how robotics helps students choose a future profession. It also shows that interest in robotics in Siberia is growing, and local teams are already achieving notable success in national championships.

“According to the rules of the competition, each team has two attempts (120 seconds) for the robot to drive along the marked line and knock down a certain number of cans placed on platforms. Penalty points are awarded for cans that are not knocked down and for leaving the line. I also determine the winner in the contest round ‘Hang the Ring!’. The goal is to score more points than the opposing alliance by stringing plastic rings onto the hooks of a stand located in the center of the field. Teams also need to identify special ‘heavy’ rings in order to receive special percentage bonuses,” says D. Yakubovsky.
Another student from IrSTU, Denis Boyarkin, judges the “Engineering Book” section, which relates to the overall description of the robot’s creation (assembly and programming). According to him, the level of the models presented is quite high, however not all teams took into account the regulations, which specify that the presentation of the book must be in English.
Robotics students from IrSTU report that they are currently busy preparing for the student championship “Mobile Systems,” which will take place in Moscow in February.
Konstantin Ivashchenko, a tenth-grader from School No. 10 in Angarsk, is convinced that classes in the robotics room helped him decide on his future profession. He plans to enter NI IrSTU in order to become a specialist at a major energy company after graduating from university.
“This industry is developing actively now. In the future I would like to become an engineer and work at an enterprise that uses robotic systems. It is nice that I will be able to continue my interest in robots in the classroom at the Corporate Training and Research Center of Irkutskenergo OJSC,” says K. Ivashchenko.
The project “Robotics: Engineering and Technical Personnel for Innovative Russia” has been implemented in Siberia since September 2012; during this time, local teams have shown high results and become laureates at championships in Krasnoyarsk and Moscow. Robotics coach Svetlana Pochekutova from School No. 40 in Angarsk believes that the boys’ successes and achievements give them confidence in their own abilities and push them to develop in this direction.
“We started classes in June at the summer site, got acquainted with the basics, and began assembling simple robots and performing elementary operations. The children enjoy designing robots. As is known, children get acquainted with Lego construction sets as early as the age of three. And when we start programming, schoolchildren need to anticipate how the robot will move and by how many degrees it will turn. This is a completely different, higher level,” says S. Pochekutova. “As of today, more than 80 children at our school are interested in robotics. For some, it may remain a hobby, while for others it may become the work of a lifetime.”
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The 5th All-Russian Robotics Festival “RoboFest - 2013” will take place from February 8 to 9, 2013, in Moscow. The Festival is organized by the Oleg Deripaska Foundation “Volnoye Delo,” the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, and the “Robotics” program. The Festival is aimed at popularizing scientific and technical creativity and raising the prestige of engineering professions among young people, developing young people’s skills in the practical solution of relevant engineering and technical tasks and in working with equipment, and identifying and supporting talented youth.