6 min.
From March 19 to 21, Rome will host the eighth edition of the RomeCup. RomeCup 2014 – Excellence in Robotics in Rome presents the winning multi-event and multi-location formula to animate the city from the centre to the suburbs. Competitions, laboratories, a showcase area, workshop and meetings will be held throughout the city at the Città Educativa, the Temple of Hadrian, Ipsia Cattaneo and the Campidoglio.
Whose will be there? One hundred teams from schools in thirteen Italian regions, three roundtables on work and development with schools and authorities.
The innovative Multi-sectorial Orientation System portal is now-line. The Città Educativa will inaugurate the first Phyrtual Innovation Gym and the first Roman Fab Lab modelled on the MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms. Videos and live streaming of the main vents will be webcast on the Rai Educational portals: www.scuola.rai.it and www.media.rai.it
Students that experiment with educational robotics acquire knowledge, develop skills and practice fundamental values that reduce the mismatch with the working world, especially in terms of the soft skills desired by technology companies, those most likely to invest in human resources. Nearly one million jobs could remain vacant.
In the meantime, universities and research centres are developing robotic solutions that integrate with the welfare system such as exoskeletons and domestic robots.
According to a forecast by the International Federation Robotics (IFR), by 2016, over 15 million service robots will be sold for a value of over 5.6 billion dollars. In 2013, the request for industrial robots also peaked at 168,000 units, 5% more than in 2012. These are the new jobs created by robots for youth.
The success story of robotics is on display at the RomeCup, a strategic axis for the development of smart specialisation policies: the Multi-sectorial Network for Educational Robotics (institutions, schools, enterprises, universities, research centres, etc.) that FMD has promoted since 2011, when the first Nertwork Agreement was signed.
The 8th edition of the RomeCup starts on March 19 (9:30 am) at the Temple of Hadrian (Piazza di Pietra, Rome) with competitions, laboratories, workshops (also held at the Ipsia Cattaneo School) and meetings focusing on youth employment and equal opportunities.
The first appointment is scheduled on March 19th (11 am at the Temple of Hadrian) with the Local Coalition for Digital Jobs: the national robotics network meets the instituions. The www.reteroboticaeducativa.org portal with the first multi-sectorial orientation system will be presented.
On Thursday, March 20th at 11 am, Job Cloud (#robjobcloud on Twitter) will be held for an exchange of ideas between schools and enterprises (from start-ups to ICT multinationals) to reduce the mismatch between work demand and supply. This will be followed by a meeting on “Schools, Professions, Companies and Institutions: an exchange to build the future” through two roundtables: the “Needs of Schools and Companies” and “Institutional Answers.” At 7:30 pm, the appointment is at the Città Educativa (via del Quadraro 102) to inaugurate the first Innovation Gym and the first Italian Fab Lab to promote work through new ideas.
On March 21st at 9:30 am, the final competition phases and the awards ceremony will be held at the Rome Campidoglio.
The RomeCup is promoted by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale with the patronage of Inail, the support of Comau Robotics, Enea, Intel and Media Direct /Campus Store, in collaboration with Città Educativa, Anp and DirScuola: media partner are Rai Edu and Focus.
RomeCup participates in the Get Online Week 2014 and Grand Coalition for Digitale Jobs Campaigns.
SMART CITY: SCHOOLS AND ROBOTS IN ROME
COMPETITIONS: the 8th International City of Rome Robotics Trophy includes the following categories: Soccer (primary/secondary Open League/secondary Light Weight), Dance (primary/secondary), Rescue (primary/secondary) and Explorer (junior/senior). The national Robocup Junior selections include: Soccer (primary A secondary Open League/secondary Light Weight) and Cospace Theatre. The Explorer and Rescue competitions will be held at the Ipsia Cattaneo School, while all other competitions will be held at the Temple of Hadrian. The final day will be held at the Campidoglio. Competitions will include robots programmed by primary school children and for the first time a team from Scampia with rescue robots.
LABORATORIES: 20 interactive labs are available for all school levels to discover more about robotics and its applications, ranging from coding to simulation programmes and industrial automation. Moreover, there will be experimental educational robotics activities that have been successfully tested in paediatric hospitals in Milan and Genoa, the so-called “red bracelets” of robotics.
SHOWCASE AREA: companies, research centres, universities and schools will bring excellence in Italian robotics to Rome with over 50 stands presenting industrial and service prototypes. Young researchers will demonstrate how an exoskeleton, a robotic hand and a car for hearing-impaired individuals work. There also are “cheap” robots created by a school with tools that are available to everyone.
EUDCATIONAL ROBOTICS NETWORK PORTAL: this is the first Multi-Sectorial Orientation System for companies, research centres, schools and universities. It is a tool for promote exchange between the different members of the network and allow the alignment of work demand and supply.
PHYRTUAL INNOVATIONGYM: is a free physical/virtual environment for technological, social and civic innovation. The space is open to schools, companies and enterprises, but focuses on youth. The project will be presented on March 20 at 7:30 pm, when the first Roman Fab Lab will be inaugurated. The Fab Lab in Rome is modelled on the MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms. The new workshop for traditional and digital creations is managed by the new craftsmen, the makers.
EXHIBITION OF HUMANOID ROBOTS: the Sapienza University “Antonio Ruberti” Department of Computer, Control, and Management Engineering will host this demo on March 19: a soccer game between two two-robot teams “Spqr” and “Nao Roma.”
FINALS AND AWARDS CEREMONY: the entire third day of the event will be held at the Rome Campidoglio, in the Sala della Protomoteca. Nine awards will be presented, one for each competition category.
