VisIC’s Holiday Story with the π-Bots Team

Nurturing Young Innovators

As we approach the holiday season, we are reminded that the most meaningful gifts are the ones that open doors for others. This year, VisIC Technologies is proud to highlight a story that reflects the power of encouragement, curiosity, and community. It is the story of the π-Bots, a young robotics team in Bayreuth, and of the people who support them, including our colleague, Projects and IP Manager, Danil Hudenkov.

For the past two years, Danil has volunteered as a mentor to a team of five young students aged 13 to 14. The team is part of the FIRST LEGO League and the World Robot Olympiad, two international programs that inspire young people to explore robotics, engineering, and scientific thinking. Working with LEGO robotics kits, the children learn to build, code, experiment, test, and try again, discovering along the way what it means to think like engineers.

The π-Bots are supported by a strong local ecosystem. Their school, Gymnasium Christian-Ernestinum Bayreuth (GCE Bayreuth), provides the LEGO equipment and (just as importantly) parents’ support for anything beyond the regular after-school meetings, including preparing for a dedicated teacher who has been coaching robotics teams for many years. She is now guiding the fourth generation of young builders, and her experience and commitment set up the tone for the team. Because the work is voluntary for teachers, the team relies heavily on the support of parents for anything beyond the regular after-school meetings, including preparing for training camps. This is where Danil found an opportunity to step in. After seeing his son’s enthusiasm for the team and speaking with the coach, he realized that additional support would allow the children to reach their full potential. He began helping with organizing camps, guiding project planning, and sharing his programming expertise.

Their development is also made possible by the University of Bayreuth’s Technology Alliance of Upper Franconia (TAO), which provides the team with a dedicated workspace through its Faculty of Engineering Science. TAO also covers the team’s competition participation fees, allowing the children to focus purely on learning, building, and preparing for events. When the team competes, they proudly represent TAO Bayreuth by combining academic support, school mentorship, and parental engagement into a collaborative effort.

This collective investment has already shown remarkable results. In the FIRST LEGO League, a competition built around robotics, research, teamwork, and creativity, the team earned first place in Robot Design during the 2023–2024 season’s qualification round. In the 2024–2025 season, they finished second in the Robot Game at their qualification event. In the World Robot Olympiad, where only the Robot Game is evaluated, the team won the 2024 qualification round and advanced to the German finals. These achievements reflect not only technical talent but also maturity, coordination, and perseverance, qualities that grow stronger each time the children gather to work on their ideas.

This year, VisIC helped support their journey by donating funds for two new laptops. For children, these laptops are much more than tools. They represent recognition, trust, and a sense that their hard work matters. With better equipment, they can program more efficiently, experiment more boldly, and prepare for competitions using the same tools real engineers use.

Danil describes his motivation with heartfelt sincerity. As a parent, he sees volunteering as a way to contribute to his son’s development and to the team’s collective growth. He believes children need opportunities to discover things on their own and to experience both success and struggle in a supportive environment. Watching the children transform initial ideas into working solutions through discussions, experiments, setbacks, and breakthroughs, and seeing the group’s enthusiasm, even on vacation, for spending time together, has been deeply inspiring for him. Parents enthusiastically join in as well, helping with transportation, logistics, and sometimes even contributing financially to training camps. In this atmosphere, the children learn teamwork, problem-solving, creativity, resilience, and how to celebrate achievements together.

As Danil puts it, “It is impressive to witness the journey from the first idea to competition day. The children are so motivated and invested that the work never feels like an obligation. When they received the laptops from VisIC, it was not only a technical upgrade but a moment when they felt truly seen and supported. And that feeling is priceless.”

At VisIC, we believe strongly in the importance of investing in STEM education from an early age. Skills developed in programs like the FIRST LEGO League and the World Robot Olympiad go far beyond robotics. They teach children how to think, collaborate, explore, and imagine; abilities that will shape their future paths, whether they become engineers, scientists, designers, or innovators in entirely new fields.

This holiday season, we are proud to stand behind the π-Bots and the committed adults who guide them. Their story reminds us that innovation begins with curiosity, grows through support, and flourishes when young people feel encouraged to build the world they imagine.