Enthusiasm, skill and creativity: During the German final of the 2024 World Robot Olympiad (WRO) in Passau, Germany, 136 teams of kids and teenagers aged eight to 19 put their impressive technical talent to the test. The winners of the four categories will attend the international WRO final in Izmir, Turkey, this November. fischertechnik supported the junior competition organised by the TECHNIK BEGEISTERT association as its global partner.

A total of 136 teams qualified for the final at the Dreiländerhalle in Passau through 50 regional competitions. 103 teams competed in the Robo Mission category,16 participated in the Future Innovators category, and ten teams competed in Future Engineers. There were also seven starter teams. In each of the four categories, there were four different levels of difficulty that required successfully manoeuvring robots and robot vehicles through a parcours and developing and presenting a robot project. The theme of this year’s competition was Earth Allies. The pupils were tasked with examining how robots can help us live in harmony with nature. “It was fantastic to witness the kids and teenagers give it their all and to see how fischertechnik can be part of the individual robot success stories”, said Ann-Christin Walker, Business Development Management Education at fischertechnik, who was thrilled by the contributions of the young creative minds. 14 teams qualified for the international final in Izmir this November.

fischertechnik attended the WRO final in Germany with a stall where it presented its versatile range of robotic products that appeal to target age groups from kindergarten to university. The company from the northern Black Forest developed the STEM Coding Competition construction kit especially for the Future Engineers WRO category. This set contains everything required to build and programme an autonomous robot vehicle to master an obstacle course. The audience was also highly interested in the learning concepts that convey renewable energy to children in primary schools and further education in a playful and hands-on manner.

The TECHNIK BEGEISTERT organisation was founded by young adults in 2011. Its 80 members aim to pass on their passion for robot competitions to other kids and teenagers. The World Robot Olympiad, organised by the association, is the largest robot competition in Germany. The association also supports schools with setting up robot project groups, provides training sessions and supports other robot-related activities.