European Spheres 2013 winners at the ESA Technical Centre in the Netherlands.
The first prize went to the alliance called C.O.F.F.E.E. — Company of Fantastic Fighters and Extravagant Experimenters — whose team included Sunday Programmers (Padova, Italy), Nemesis (Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain) and Hello World (Paris, France).
The ultimate robot game challenged youngsters to write algorithms that controlled the Spheres, short for Synchronised Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites.
Spheres are volleyball-sized satellites that hover around the International Space Station using 12 jets powered by compressed gas. These autonomous robots have their own power, propulsion and navigation.