The SPbGASU team took second place at the V Industry Championship in the field of digital technologies Digital Skills 2023, held in Kazan from 20 to 23 September.

The University was represented in the “Digital Manufacturing” competency by fourth-year students of the Faculty of Automobile and Road Building Elizaveta Rakhmanova (team captain), Maksim Sadovnikov, Vladislav Elesin, and fifth-year FARB student Mikhail Muslivets.

They completed three blocks of tasks: they studied the Rational Production software, created a digital twin of a skateboard production, and programmed a robotic arm.

Elizaveta Rakhmanova got motivated by her professional interest in new technologies, digitalization and automation. The student was inspired by the very atmosphere of the competition: it was interesting to be among people who were passionate about their work.

“My team and I would like to be part of such an event again. So we will improve existing skills and develop new ones,” said Elizaveta.

Maksim Sadovnikov has been interested in robotics since his third year. He plans to develop in the field of programming and participate in competitions dedicated to robotics. The student said that the team worked hard - even in the evening after the competition day. As a result, they received useful experience and an honorable second place.

Mikhail Muslivets emphasized that the team members helped each other. This helped me complete the tasks.

"Further more! We will participate in other competitions and win, we are determined,” said Vladislav Elesin.

Roman Litvin, associate professor at the Department of Land Transport and Technological Machines, took part in the championship as a compatriot expert. The teacher participated in organizing tests and judging other teams - according to the regulations, he could not evaluate his own team, but he was allowed to speak in its defense in case of disagreement with the experts’ assessment.

Roman Litvin teaches classes in robotics at the Faculty of Automobile and Road Building. He teaches the discipline “Mechatronics and Robotics” for the specialties “Land transport and technological means” and “Applied mechanics”.

“In my classes I teach the theory of managing complex systems. I teach the Python programming language - this is exactly what was required at the competition. I explain how to automate the operation of wheeled and tracked vehicles. Since last year, we have been establishing contacts with specialized enterprises that are developing this area. Including the cluster of high technology and engineering enterprises of the Northwestern Federal District "Kreonomika."

The most interested students take additional robotics classes with Roman Litvin. This summer, many of them completed internships at specialized robotics companies. The championship participants are among those who underwent practice at the R-Pro concern, a group of companies operating in the field of supplying high-tech products and engineering services, research activities, introducing innovations and digital technologies, providing a range of management and IT consulting services, and also industrial robotization, automation and system integration.

During the summer internship, students were introduced to the Rational Production program (a software platform for creating digital twins, simulation modeling, and offline programming of robots and other industrial equipment) and studied it for four weeks. Towards the end of the summer, under the leadership of Roman Litvin, they began to actively prepare for the championship. During the competition, at the end of each day, the current tasks were sorted out until late. The supervisor pointed out mistakes and gave advice.

Anna Gasanova, a fourth-year student at the FARB, also did an internship at R-Pro and received an invitation to work in this group of companies. She took part in organizing the championship: she developed competition tasks and prepared manipulators.

Roman Litvin is sure: the guys are great. They performed well, showing a high level of proficiency in the program.

The championship was held in pursuance of instructions from the President of the Russian Federation as part of the federal project “Personnel for the Digital Economy” of the national program “Digital Economy of the Russian Federation”. Its organizers were the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Communications of Russia, the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Agency for the Development of Professions and Skills.