A galactic voyage of discovery: This year, the zdi network Aachen and the district of Heinsberg once again hosted the zdi robotics competition. On Friday, April 24, a total of ten teams of school students competed against each other in one of 25 local competitions at the Technology Center at Europaplatz (TZA). The network, which is based at the City of Aachen's Economic Development Agency, is part of the nationwide "Future through Innovation" (zdi) initiative and promotes young people in the region for MIN(K)T subjects (mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, art, technology).

The zdi robotics competition “zdi-Space Adventures – Ruby and Schräubchen on a Galactic Voyage of Discovery” offers participants a fun introduction to computer science and robotics. They program robots they’ve built themselves to navigate an obstacle course while solving practical tasks related to the socially relevant theme.

"With their creativity and technical skills, the participants in the 2026 robotics competition showed what potential they have. Practical projects like this are crucial to getting young people interested in technology at an early age, promoting talent and recruiting skilled workers for our companies in the long term. This makes the competition a central building block for securing skilled workers in our region," says Dieter M. Begaß, Head of the City of Aachen's Department of Economic Affairs, Science, Digital City and Europe.

This year's theme is "zdi-Space Adventures" with questions such as: What happens when a rocket is launched? How do satellites communicate with each other? How do experiments work in zero gravity? How do you explore an unknown planet?

After an exciting competition, the three best-placed teams in Aachen have been determined:

1.            Couven III (Couven Gymnasium)

2.            Couven IV (Couven Gymnasium)

3rd BLS Block Brawlers (Bischöfliche Liebfrauenschule Eschweiler)

Both teams from Couven Gymnasium fought an exciting neck-and-neck race, in which team "Couven III" ultimately won the local competition with great skill thanks to the better third scoring round. The two teams from Couven Gymnasium have qualified for the regional finals, where they will compete against the winners of other local competitions with the aim of reaching the NRW final on 11.07.2026 in Mühlheim an der Ruhr.

The organizers would like to thank all the teams who enriched the competition with their commitment, ingenuity and technical talent. Every single achievement shows how much potential there is in our young technical talent and makes it clear how exciting and versatile robotics and computer science can be. Special thanks also go to the TZA for generously providing the premises.

For more information, visit https://mint-community.de/zdi-roboterwettbewerb/