A remarkable distinction for Greece at the World Robotics Competition RoboRave International 2025 in Beijing, where the ATOM Robotics Team from Volos claimed first place against teams belonging to the global technological elite.
Standing at the very top of the world, among countries considered leaders in technological innovation, the ATOM Robotics Team from Volos triumphed at the RoboRave International 2025 held in Beijing.
The four team members – Dimitris Astras, Lefteris Dimos, Lefteris Samiotis and Giannis Kosmidis – won first place in the Line Follow 18+ category. Despite their young age – with the youngest still in their final year of high school and the oldest a student at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Thessaly – they managed to surpass teams that included scientists and university professors up to 40 years old.
Their robot had a highly demanding mission: to follow a line, carry ping-pong balls, and place them at predetermined spots. The task was executed flawlessly, and their results outperformed the second-place team by a wide margin.
The team’s coach and president of the Volos Robotics Club, Thrasivoulos Farmakis, said in a recent interview that the students have been involved in robotics for at least half their lives. “They started at the age of 8–9, have already collected many successes at the national level, and now achieved a global distinction. Despite the intense competition, they held onto first place from start to finish,” he emphasized.
More than 200 teams from across the globe participated in the competition. “Most were from China. In the knockout stage we advanced to the top three alongside two teams from Thailand. We had to compete with countries that are technologically very advanced. The children arrived in Beijing without any prior knowledge of the track and challenges; they learned everything at the last minute and adapted perfectly,” noted Farmakis.
The team’s journey to the world stage began in Greece, where their victory at the national competition in Larissa earned them a ticket to Beijing. There, beyond winning gold in the Line Follow 18+ category, they also secured fourth place in the Sumo 18+ category with a second robot.
Notable success also came from the club’s younger team, composed of Vasilis Kotsiaridis, Angelos Kourtis, Athanasios Fakidis and Haris Charitos, which reached the top eight and finished 24th in the Sumo Robots category.
Farmakis stressed that the Volos Robotics Club was created to provide young people with opportunities and a strong foundation for their future. “We want to connect these students with the job market and show that they deserve opportunities here in Greece, so they won’t be forced to leave for abroad,” he explained.
Speaking about their experience in China, he added: “The things we see here are incredible. That phrase we sometimes use – that Greece is 50 years behind – might even be an understatement. We saw robots delivering food to our rooms. The students realized how the things they build can be applied in the real world. We train them so they have nothing to envy from their peers in technologically advanced countries such as China, Japan or Thailand.”
The success of the ATOM Robotics Team is yet another proof that Greece’s young generation has the talent, knowledge and determination to stand on equal footing with the world’s best.