Two students from the Institute of Applied Technological Innovation (ITTA) in Salta, Alejandro de Ugarriza and Ian Dib, clinched the second prize in the simulated robotics competition in the junior category at the RoboCup 2023 world event held in France.
The RoboCup, also known as the “Robotics World Cup,” is an international scientific initiative aimed at advancing intelligent robotics. Established in 1997, its original mission was to build a team of robots capable of winning a match against the winning footballers of the FIFA World Cup by 2050.
Both are Salta natives who competed in the Simulated Robotics tournament, where the robots are not physically constructed but designed in a three-dimensional simulator. They are programmed to perform tasks in a virtual world, earning scores based on their performance.
“I started when I was young, attending the institute since I was 8 years old, starting with Educational Robotics. I was always curious, I enjoyed disassembling toys to understand how they worked,” commented De Ugarriza to Infobae.
His project partner shares a similar involvement from a young age, driven by a long-term goal: “I was attracted by the idea that technology could lead us to a better future, to a cleaner planet, and I continued until I started this competition.”
Additionally, Alejandro received the “Community Award” honorable mention, a special recognition for his outstanding collaborative work. He shared open-source code with the community and assisted other teams in solving issues during the championship.
The students were accompanied by Lorena Trovato, Director of Knowledge Economy of the Province of Salta, Gustavo Viollaz, the institute’s director, and Cecilia Budeguer, the institution’s Pedagogical Coordinator.”
