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- Last Saturday, 48 children aged between 10 and 14 participated in the Endesa Hackateen, a competition that seeks to get children interested in the different disciplines related to robotics, programming and 3D printing.
- A solar-powered domestic robot, a robot capable of reducing waste and a robot-carer for elderly people, were the three winners in Endesa's technology challenge aimed at children.
Endesa brought together 48 boys and girls aged 10 to 14 this Saturday to come up with ideas on how they saw the robot of the future. After being given a basic understanding of robotics, programming and 3D printing, the limitless imaginations of the participants in Endesa's first Hackateen came up with a number of innovative ideas.
"High Tech", a solar-powered domestic robot to improve security at home with a sensor to detect intruders and that also gives advice on health and safety; "Enelesio" a recycled robot capable of reducing waste and whose batteries can be recharged using solar panels; and "Bobú" a robot-carer for elderly people that has a button to call the police, were the three winners in Endesa's technology competition aimed at children.
These winning ideas were among others that were just as innovative such as a robot that transforms polluted air into clean air, a robot that cleans waste water and uses it to water parks and gardens, and a robot that transports medicines to places without hospitals.
The first Endesa Hackateen was created as a competition aimed at the children of Endesa's employees in order to give them a basic understanding of different disciplines relating to robotics, programming and 3D printing.
The children were able to use Tinkercard – a program specially adapted for them – to create their own prototypes for parts, which they then saw being printed. They also learnt how to design, program and control a robot using Scratch, a programming language created by MIT. This is a very simple language that is ideal for both those children who already have some knowledge of the subject and also for those who are just beginning to enter this world. The children were also taught about Arduino 101 to give them the opportunity to discover all the possibilities offered by this development circuit board.
The Endesa Hackateen is another example of Endesa's commitment to the open innovation model, with a view to discovering, developing and creating energy in the coming years. The initiative stems from Endesa's pledge to future generations, in order to enable young people to be part of an experience in which they can work creatively and actively by contributing their own visions, ideas and creativity, while at the same time instilling in them a passion for technology and its practical application so that they, in turn, transmit this passion to their parents.
This innovative initiative is part of the Endesa Energy Challenges, a new collaborative platform where Endesa works together with entrepreneurs to find energy efficient products and services. The initiative aims to challenge the brightest minds to find solutions in the energy world that will transform the current model. The first two initiatives, the Endesa Datathon and the Endesa Hackathon, were launched in 2015 and throughout this year we will continue to add challenges that stimulate the efforts and creativity of all concerned.
The idea is that this innovation also reaches Endesa's employees. In order to facilitate this process, we recently held an internal HackDay, so that employees could show off their technological skills and their ideas for improving the business. This action is joined by Digital Day, also directed towards our employees and allowing them to express their digital side, and now the Hackateen that Endesa has launched so that our employees' children, that is, the future generations with minds that are open to everything around them, may also help reveal the keys to the technological future.