IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - March 2022 - 102

COMPETITIONS
RoboParty: 20 Editions Building
By A. Fernando Ribeiro, Gil Lopes, Nino Pereira, and José Cruz
Robots and Motivating Youngsters
for Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Mathematics Subjects
R
obotic products and services
are quickly getting into people's
homes, and it is important to
prepare the youngsters for
new challenges. One way to motivate
them is through competitive events [1].
Back in 2006, the Laboratory of
Automation and Robotics [2] at the
University of Minho [3], Guimarães,
Portugal, created a new event called
RoboParty [4].
The main ob -
The main objective is
to teach youngsters
how to build and
program a robot
from scratch in a
collaborative, fun, and
friendly environment.
jective is to teach
youngsters how
to build and
program a robot
from scratch in a
collaborative,
fun, and friendly
environment.
The first edition
was held in 2007.
Every year the
event attracts up
to 500 people from differ ent countries.
With 13 editions held at the University
of Minho, three in Lisbon, and four
abroad (in Brazil, Germany, Canada,
and Denmark), this event is inter -
national ly recognized for its new
approach toward learn ing robotics.
RoboParty [5]-[8] is an event with
educational purposes only, focusing
on science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics (STEM) subjects.
Teams of four people work for three
days assembling the electronic components
and programming an autonDigital
Object Identifier 10.1109/MRA.2022.3143188
Date of current version: 22 March 2022
Figure 1. RoboParty's mascot " Ruminho. "
102 * IEEE ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION MAGAZINE * MARCH 2022
omous mobile
robot, guided by
qualified professionals, within a fun and
relaxed environment. In the end, each
team keeps its robot so that the members
continue learning at home or
school. Figure 1 shows the mascot.
Look for RoboParty highlights on
YouTube (https://youtu.be/0gdCw
-vlY2U).
The event takes place in an open
area, usually a sports hall, to accommodate
the 500 participants and 100 staff
members. Two thirds of the space is
used as a working zone (Figure 2), and
one third is used for other activities,
such as entertainment or sports activities
during the day and as a sleeping
area by night. The working zone is
arranged with clusters in a matrix style;
each cluster holds four teams. This promotes
knowledge sharing and encourages
interaction among teams.
The University of Minho sports hall
is a large space equipped with central
heating/air conditioning, toilet facilities,
dressing/shower rooms, and a fitness
lounge. It also provides security with
surveillance cameras, electronic
entrance control, file cabinets with lockers,
and a reception area. Nearby, university
food services, such as the bar
and canteen, provide breakfast, lunch,
and dinner. The spacious university gardens
are a good place for relaxation and
short walks.
The staff is composed of 100 people.
They are mainly students pursuing their
degrees in industrial electronics engineering
at the University of Minho. The
more experienced ones provide help in
assembling and programming.
At the check-in, each team receives
a robotic kit developed by the University
of Minho and Bot'n Roll [9]. During
the event, short training sessions
are delivered in different subjects:
mechanical assembly of the robot,
soldering electronic components
on the printed circuit board (PCB),
Arduino programming, and direction/
speed control
techniques, among
others (see Figure 3). The presentations
are designed for all ages and
skills so that everyone can understand
the concepts. The manuals have many
pictures with step-by-step instructions.
There is also a separate accredited
training (by the Portuguese
government) for the team mentors
only. Each team has one or two tutors
(members of the staff) with robotics
knowledge to assist with the construction
and programming of the robot.
There is also a keynote session (1 h)
delivered by a renowned scientist/
https://youtu.be/0gdCw-vlY2U https://youtu.be/0gdCw-vlY2U
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