Zero Robotics Satellite Programming Camp

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Zero Robotics (ZR) is an international robotics programming competition hosted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and NASA where the robots are the SPHERES satellites inside the International Space Station. “ZeRoRo Armenia”, the project based on the title of the Zero Robotics competition, is a summer camp project, where the participants learn satellite coding, present their team work, and send their code to MIT to participate in the ZR international competition.

The summer camp is offering children living in conflict-ridden areas of Armenia bordering Azerbaijan the chance to learn about robotics and coding. The camp is specifically designed to use engineering to promote peace and prove that the technology can be also used for peace.
During the camps children aged 12-15 who have interest in STEM learn about NASA, aerospace engineering, and engineering research, and improve their knowledge in the areas of software and satellite programming. Participation in the summer camp gives the children an opportunity to consider pursuing engineering, programming, and STEM in general as a future career path and create solid ground for their next steps in this exciting process.

Most importantly, ZeRoRo Armenia is designed to bring change in the lives of children living in socially difficult conditions and show them that the education can open many doors for them and be the answer to solving numerous issues that they face on a daily basis. Children living alongside the border of Armenia are taught to stay away from tanks, drones, and such machines, growing up scared and wary. In ZeRoRo, we aim to show a different—more peaceful—side of engineering and show that engineering is the most peaceful thing in the world, and is very empowering when used correctly.

STEM and programming are very exciting topics for most underprivileged children, especially when they realise that at the end of the camp if they make it to the finals of the international competition, they will be able to send their code to the International Space Station through the Zero Robotics program to be run on the SPHERES satellites. This is an outstanding opportunity for Armenia as a country and for children growing up in a warzone. We hope to empower more and more Armenian children through ZeRoRo and encourage them to dream bigger and higher, showing them that even though they may have limited opportunities, live in a warzone, and be short on resources, with enough motivation and hard work they can achieve their dreams and reach as high as space itself.