The students’ representative of the Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) and “FESTO” organized the unique for the students of the colleges and for the first time in Lithuania demonstrational “Competitions of the Robots” for the students of universities and engineers. The events took place at the Lithuanian Exhibitions Center “Litexpo” on the 25-28 of May and were part of the exhibitions “Balttechnika 2004” and “Mokslas 2004” (“Science 2004”).

The “Baltic Open Competitions on Mechatronics” were navigated all week – from 21 till 28 of May. The mechatronics is a hybrid trend of the technique, which joins the traditional technique technologies – mechanics, electrotechnics, electronics and computer science to solve integrated problems of manufacturing and management.

Competition participants are the students of the colleges of the Baltic States and the youths of other countries. The students of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, Russia, Finland, Poland and Germany participated in the “Baltic Open Competitions on Mechatronics”. The participants’ training took place on the 21-23 of May; the competitions passed on the 25-28 of May at the second hall of the “Litexpo” centre, in which the participants had to perform different technical tasks as quickly as they could and to find the technical mistakes and also to suggest the best problem solution.

On the 25-27 of May for the first time in Lithuania “Competitions of the Robots” for the students of universities and engineers from different countries took place in the Lithuanian Exhibition Centre “Litexpo” (Laisvës pr. 5, Vilnius). The engineers and constructors of robots willing to exhibit their skills could do that at the second hall of the “Litexpo” centre during the free time between the exhibition’s legs. 

But these robot competitions differed from the popular foreign “wars of the robots”, where they fight against each other seeking to harm an antagonist. In the Lithuanian competitions the robots had to drive the eggs from point A to point B. It seemed an easy task, but to realize it was quite difficult. Primarily because the remote control of the robots was enacted by a special monitor, i. e. there were special video cameras on the robots. Unfortunately, there were different problems with commands for the robots because of the not qualitative view – the robots strayed from the run, couldn’t collect the eggs or lost them.   

It is exulting that all robots shown in the competitions were made in Lithuania by our students and technicians. The organizers of the unusual “Robot race” and the competitions on mechatronics are the students’ representative of the Faculty of Automation and Electrotechnics of the Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) and “FESTO”. The KTU students’ representative is the biggest Lithuanian organization of technical universities, which unifies more than 300 active members. The “Festo” is an independent company, which studies the technological subsequences and the tendencies of the market; it is represented in 170 countries and regions of the whole world. 

An attention to science and e-education

The company group “Penki Kontinentai” didn’t take part in the exhibitions “Balttechnika 2004“ and “Mokslas 2004” (“Science 2004”), but the company allots a lot of attention to science and the possibilities to place modern technologies in it.

Existing for more than five years Training Center established in 1998 by “Penki kontinentai” offers courses on more than thirty subjects; the courses are oriented at specialists, pupils and students. Training Center proposes courses not only at the Center’s facilities, but also at your work place, for groups or individuals. Training courses are very useful both for those who are willing to obtain basic computer skills and for those who would like to improve their knowledge or even change a profession. Today you are welcome to attend the following courses: internet basics, text editing, programming, computer graphics and design, computer networks, data bases. By the end of the course all are given special certificates. More information about Training Center here >>>.

With an exertion of the company group “Penki kontinentai“ the project of e-day-care is successfully implemented. The project was presented during the “Infobalt 2003” exhibition. The head of the company group Idrakas Dadaðovas gave the children of the day-care “Gandriukas” a modern present – plastic magnetic cards. These cards were designed for the identification of the children and for different discounts. They save an individual’s data, like child’s health’s state, its achievements in studying at the day-care or school. The cards are coherent to the technology of the mininetworks. Each card consists of information about the child’s mininetwork address. Mininetworks – small networks, in which information about a person, his/her hobbies, pictures, etc. can be kept. Each child in the “Gandriukas” day-care can have such a network, it can be designed at the web-site of the day-care - http://gandriukas.microsite.lt. A video camera was installed at the day-care “Gandriukas”, with its help you can see the day-care group “Drugelis“ (“Butterfly“) online for 24 hours at the web-site www.gandriukas.lt.

“Penki kontinentai” implements the first unique project of electronic school in Lithuania. The new system already exists at Vilnius’ “Þemyna” gymnasium. This project must change collaboration between teachers and students, improve expedition, information search and change such a negative view of school in general.