On Friday, May 9th, 2025, we – Robotics Erlangen – had the pleasure of visiting the Willstätter-Gymnasium in Nuremberg. Starting at 2 p.m., we had the fantastic opportunity to engage with students from all grade levels as part of the school’s Forschungs-AG (Research Club) – including a dedicated Robotics group of 5th graders who are just beginning their journey into technology and programming.

With us: two of our autonomous soccer robots, which we regularly use in national and international competitions. The students’ excitement was immediate – many were fascinated by how our robots can “understand” the field, orient themselves, detect the ball, and aim for the goal – all without any remote control.

In addition to presenting our work and giving insights into robotics at the Faculty of Engineering at FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg, students were especially curious about the technical details:
How do robots “think”? What’s behind camera-based object recognition? How are movements planned? And how do the robots communicate with one another?

At the same time, we were truly impressed by the students’ own projects within the Research Club. One highlight was a sustainable garden irrigation system, designed to be both ecologically and energy efficient. Automated, power-saving, and environmentally conscious – exactly the kind of innovation we need for the future!

We’d like to sincerely thank the Willstätter-Gymnasium for the invitation and the inspiring exchange. It was wonderful to see so much curiosity and creativity among the next generation of young researchers. We’re looking forward to seeing some familiar faces again – perhaps soon at FAU!