Astocate: 8 young Venetian talents are planning how to reduce the sound of ships (to save whales)

Every Saturday afternoon eight guys From extraordinary talent they gather in Padua to cultivate their passion for science and technology. Are the members of Astrogateone Team of young people with high cognitive potential Which is working on an ambitious project: to reduce the acoustic pollution of ships to protect whales and marine ecosystem.

The team is made up of children from different Venetian cities, including Padua, Treviso and Venice, and trains at the Esu residence “Colombo”. Their goal is to compete at the highest levels of the First Lego League 2025an international educational robotic race. Have already passed the regional selections and now point to National Finals of Genoawith the hope of representing Italy to the world phase.

The young astrogate scientists train with determination, alternating moments of pure fun with intense work phases. “We look forward to Saturday to find ourselves and give shape to our ideas“They tell enthusiastically. Each of them has a specific passion: there are those who dream of become an engineer, who mathematical, who musician. This diversity of interests and talents is reflected in their innovative approach to competition.

How the device they invented

Under the guidance of the coach Alessandro Chemello and other experts, have designed a robot able to face the challenges of the race, scheduled with the Python language for move independently and complete missions on a carpet that simulates the seabed. But the real innovation of the team does not stop there.

In addition to the robotic competition, the First Lego League requires the participants of develop a scientific project linked to the theme of the year. Astrogate has chosen to face a crucial problem for the marine environment: The noise pollution generated by the motor rooms of the shipswhich can disorient the whales and other cetaceans, putting survival at risk.

After careful research, the team developed an innovative device that exploits the principle of destructive interference to reduce underwater noise. In practice it emits sound waves opposite to those produced by ship engines, attenuating their impact without compromising the performance of the boat. The prototype was made with 3D printing and is ready to be tested.

The enthusiasm and creativity of these young talents show that science can be an exciting adventure. Their project not only represents a step forward in the protection of the marine environment, but it is also an example of how team game and passion can turn into concrete solutions for the future. Now all that remains is to wait for the national finals: if astrogate will win, will fly to the World Cupbringing with him the pride of an entire nation.