IT Archimede from Catania triumphed at the RoboCupJunior European Championship 2024, held from 13 to 16 June at IdeenExpo. The BotBusters team, representing the Catania institute, took first place in the OnStage Advanced category, beating teams from 21 nations. The winning team is made up of students Andrea Caltabiano, Francesco Ventimiglia, Caracciolo Danilo from 4B electronics, Maugeri Giordana from 4A electronics and Giuseppe Costantino from 3A electronics. Participants presented a performance inspired by the film “Ghostbusters”, integrating technology, artificial intelligence, innovation and electronics, elements that have ensured their success. The coach professors, Cristina Strano – regional representative for the RoboCup Jr Sicily – and Giovanni Giustiniani, led the team with passion and competence. The head teacher, Professor Fortunata Daniela Vetri, expressed gratitude and pride for the result, underlining “the importance of the support and trust placed in teachers and students”.
The team’s journey began in March with the regional competitions at STMicroelectronics in Catania, where they won first place, continuing with a third place at the national competitions in Verbania, and culminating with the victory at the European Championships in Hannover. This success follows that of 2023, when the Archimede technical institute had already won first place at the Europeans in Varazdin in Croatia, confirming their excellence in the panorama of European educational robotics.
