West University of Timişoara (UVT) reconfirms its role as a trainer of future generations of leaders in science and technology, training between August 26 and 31, 2025 the "Cyberpunk" robotics team from the "Mihai Viteazul" National College in Turda, which is preparing for the "FIRST Global Challenge 2025", the world robotics competition that will take place in Panama City, between October 29 and November 1, 2025.
With the participation of over 190 national teams, this global robotics competition brings together the most talented and innovative minds of the young generation, being recognized as the “Olympic Games of Robotics”. Additional details about the event can be found on official website.
The West University of Timisoara actively supports the training of the "Cyberpunk" team, providing them with the infrastructure, mentorship and expertise necessary to develop the innovative project with which they are competing: EcoGuardian - an integrated platform that responds to the global challenge of wildfires, with a direct impact on biodiversity and climate change.
Romania is increasingly facing the threat of wildfires, caused mainly by human activities such as uncontrolled agricultural burning or negligence, with over 8.000 wildfires recorded this year alone. They seriously affect biodiversity, unbalance ecosystems and release massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, accelerating climate change.
The EcoGuardian project proposes an integrated solution based on emerging technologies: the use of satellite images and the NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) index to identify areas of dry vegetation, complemented by aerial surveillance with drones. The collected data is processed by the Meta SAM (Segment Anything Model) artificial intelligence model, which detects risk elements (such as accumulations of dry vegetation or human waste, including glass and plastic, which can trigger fires). These risks are then geolocated and integrated into an interactive web platform, which allows authorities to view risk maps in real time and intervene preventively, by cleaning dangerous areas or warning the population.
The rector of UVT, prof. univ. dr. Marilen Gabriel Pirtea: "UVT has become, year after year, a reference point for the robotics community in Romania, and the teams we support achieve increasingly better results, at national and international level. We promote performance, excellence, respect for competitors and fair play, in all the competitions we organize or in which the robotics teams we support participate. The expertise of UVT mentors and the experience gained in national and international competitions are certified by their choice as coaches of the team from the “Mihai Viteazul” National College in Turda, which will represent Romania in the world robotics competition to be held in Panama City, a new premiere that deserves all our appreciation.”
