The Didattiche.2018 International Conference that will be held at the Rimini Palacongressi on October 12-13 is just a few days away. The event is promoted by Publishing House Erickson "to reflect on the multiple meanings of innovation and promote efficient didactics to develop students’ competences, promoting debate, participation and inclusion.”

Today, The rich programme includes an operational table dedicated to robotics competitions held by Raimondo Sgrò and Paolo Torda, both of whom have trained world champions.

Forwards and goalies, emergency situation rescue operations, explorers seeking out light, gas and sounds, dancers and actors performing choreographies and plays … These are the “nut and bolt” robots that move independently, are often built from scratch and compete each year at RomeCup. All participating robots are built and programmed by teachers and students in Italian schools.

The experience of RomeCup’s competitions alight at Didattiche.2018, where participants will be able to view short competition demos between robots and learn more about how to form a team and introduce Educational Robotics in didactic programmes: from the necessary skills to the required technical tools. Whether you win or lose, you learn whilst playing.

PAOLO TORDA

Born in 1966, Paolo Torda is an expert in electronics, the subject that he teaches at ITC Arangio Ruiz in Rome. His experience in robotic competitions began in 1995, when he constructed an explorer robot for a competition organised at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna di Pisa. Since then, he has continued involving students and colleagues in events dedicated to educational robotics, including the RomeCup organised by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale. In 2015, his student team became world champion for the second year in a row at the World Championships held in Hefei, China, in the Soccer Light Robocup Junior Category. From 2011 to 2015, Paolo was the national representative for Robocup Junior and, in 2016, he participated in the Organization Committee of the World Robotics Championship in Leipzig in the Junior Soccer Category.

RAIMONDO SGRÒ

Born in 1966, Raimondo Sgrò, an expert in electronics with a degree in Physics from the University of Milan, teaches Electronics at ITI Cobianchi in Verbania. As a teacher, he has been involved in orientation, stages and traineeships, and quality certification systems, as well as coordinator for school-work programmes. In 2004, he began developing Educational Robotics Programmes and, in 2019, participated in national robotics competitions as a mentor. In 2014, he co-founded the non-profit Elettra Robotics Lab Association that aims to promote robotics. Since 2013, he participated as a mentor in international competitions, often placing in the top positions with his teams. Since 2015, he is the RoboCup Regional Representative for the Italian Junior Sector and, in 2018, he was co-chair of the RoboCup Junior European Championship.