This June, one of the largest robotics festivals took place in Dnipro, Ukraine. The event sponsor, Max Polyakov’s Noosphere, was delighted to see more than ten thousands people come out to enjoy the robotics competitions, workshops, expositions and drone races. One of the most memorable events was the night races for aerial drones that dazzled fans like a living fireworks display streaking through the tracks.
The event also featured some of the most recent projects being worked on by the Noosphere Engineering School, another of Max Polyakov’s initiatives to encourage interest and provide training in robotics. Teams demonstrated projects that they were working on that could charge mobile devices remotely, a working model of a Mars rover, and SenseBridge, an innovative way to transmit tactile sensations via the Internet.
One of the most famous technologies developed by the engineering school that was on display was a system to control the targeting and firing for artillery units, ArtOS. This systems was developed in less than a year and has recently been deployed by the Ukrainian military.
Closer to home, the school also demonstrated a mobile application for citizens to contact police directly, MyPolice. Max Polyakov help facilitate the development of the system in cooperation with local police services and rather than just put in a call to the police, the application is able to share video, audio from caller’s devise as well as its location so that first responders can get a full idea of the situation before arriving to render aid.
As a devoted family man, Max Polyakov designed the event to attract families to come enjoy the event together. Volunteers helped young engineers design their own rockets to fire of in the nearby field, and drone pilots let anyone try their hand in the pilot seat.
For those who felt more of a kinship with Picasso than Picard, local artists came to capture the moment on three gigantic canvases. Max Polyakov expressed his opinion that the best way to get people interested in science and technology is to get them as involved as possible. To this end, guests joined in, with music bands and dance troops in the background to add put their brushes to the canvas and share their impressions of the day. Max Polyakov shared his deep commitment to helping local youth get involved in science and engineering today, because they will be the ones driving Ukrainian industry tomorrow.
With all the excitement shown for the robots and drones, one exhibit stole the show, MonsterCarsUA. At times it felt as though one had stepped out of the futuristic realm of rockets and cyborgs and onto the set of a Mad Max movie. The steampunk themed cars, bicycles and other vehicles attracted crowds every day of the event.
Max Polyakov even set up a special prize to the winner of the “pimp-my-ride” voting to build a custom vehicle for BestRoboFest 2018. The new design will be a legendary ZAZ-965 car customised in the style of the truck from Jeepers Creepers.
In speaking about the event, Max Polyakov said that he was encouraged by the number of people that attended, noting that more than twice as many people had come out compared to the year before. Attendees were delighted to have such a positive event for them to take part in, learn about the technology that is shaping their futures, and even enjoy a little ice cream in the sun.
Image credit: BestRoboFest via Facebook