The so named “Schnupperstudium” offers students a one-week glimpse into university life during the holidays. In addition to presenting various research fields, there are discussions with professionals and students, as well as a sample lecture and project work for the students. The projects provide a practical introduction, allowing students to continue working on them every day of the trial study week. During this week, which took place from March 25, 2024, to March 28, 2024, our team accompanied a project group and presented our robots in research demos to other groups.

At the beginning of the week, our project work involved so-called Cozmos, small robots that can be programmed via an app using a language similar to Scratch. These robots handle small cubes that can be lifted or rolled by them. The students were tasked with teaching the robots to play soccer through increasingly challenging tasks. By the beginning of the third day, a small game with three robots on each side was possible.

At the end of the week, the students worked with our large competition robots in a simulation and managed to reach the ball and score goals. Additionally, video recordings were made for the final project presentation.

Both the students and the supervising members of our team had a lot of fun throughout the week. The students reported that they wished they had more time to accomplish more in the project work. Due to Good Friday, the trial study program was shortened by one day. We were also able to help some students discover that they enjoy computer science, with one participant wanting to start studying right away. We will definitely be part of the Schnupperstudium again next year.

Until then, this month we also have the German Open (GO) coming up, where we will compete against other teams in Kassel.