The announcement of the name of Dimitris Chatzis at the conclusion of the events of the 5th Industrial Informatics Festival (co‑organized in Kavala by the AMTH Technology Research Center and the AMTH TEI) to receive the 2nd prize of this year's competition, apparently embarrassed those present in the conference hall of the exhibition Center “Apostolos Mardyris” in Nea Karvali. An embarrassment that later gave way to admiration and prolonged applause.
It could not have happened otherwise, since Dimitri Khatzis is only 14 years old, a student in the third grade of the 6th Gymnasium of Kavala. Dimitri became involved in robotics for the first time at age 11 and just three years later managed to design and build on his own a home 3D printer, earning well-deserved praise and the 2nd prize of the 5th Industrial Informatics Festival.
The young scientist received a flood of congratulations for the award he received, but mainly for the fact that he is a brilliant example of patience, perseverance, will, intelligence, and also moderation. His father, George Chatzis, a valuable assistant and supporter, did not hide his joy and satisfaction for his son's achievements.
One day after the Festival events, the APE-MPE met Dimitri at a time that would allow him to have completed his school lessons for the next day and also not miss the training in his favorite sport, football.
As he said, it took him a year to study, design and build the home 3D printer so that he could participate in this year's Industrial Informatics Festival. He revealed, however, that his original idea was to create a bio‑hand that would be an extension of his own hand. But when he browsed the internet and realized that the cost of materials was approaching €1,000, he settled on the printer, whose material cost was €500. The entire amount came from the savings he made from his allowance given by his parents and the money he collected during the holidays from friendly acquaintances.
The attempt to describe the work of Dimitri Ochria in front of the image a machine that prints – creates useful objects that exist in every home. He himself explains to us that “3D printing is an additive manufacturing method, in which objects are built through the successive addition of successive layers of material. Various types of material can be used in 3D printing, mainly polymers (a type of plastic material), which have the ability to print models or parts with different mechanical and physical properties. Today, great interest is shown by the development of home 3D printers, especially the RepRap, which is the first printer that can print the parts that make it up and thus be reproduced.”.
The important thing in this effort is that Dimitris built all the parts that make up his printer himself and adapted the necessary software, after many hours of work, many failed attempts and also disappointment, when he realized that pressing the button his printer only gave “plastic strands” of plastic and not the result he was aiming for. Then, he understood that the software needed greater improvement and persisted a lot, so that the result finally would vindicate him and he would construct – print thus his first object, which was a spoon.
The spark that started his interest in robotics was a science‑fiction movie he watched with his father when he was in the sixth grade of elementary school. In that movie the robots had taken part in a wrestling match. When Dimitris turned to his father and asked if they could actually create robots that wrestle, his father replied: “we can try to get involved”. Thus began the great effort of searching and creating. However, his first experiments were not necessarily with robots, but focused on his attempt to automate the lighting of an LED bulb.
The professional occupation of his father, who works as an electrical engineer at DEYA Kavala, helped him understand many aspects of scientific research. His mother's constant encouragement, who works as a German literature teacher in secondary education, led him to attend robotics seminars and participate in exhibitions, such as the Industrial Informatics Festival. Both of his parents gave the 14‑year‑old Dimitris the tools so that he would not abandon his effort and would live his small dream.
Speaking about APE – MPE claimed that robotics is rather an unusual hobby for children of his age, but he himself insists on it. The knowledge he has acquired from his involvement up to today helped him to search via Facebook for people older than him, such as students and professionals, who have the same concerns in order to exchange thoughts and ideas. He admitted, however, that the first time he started chatting with robotics students, they thought he was joking, realizing that he was actually an 11‑year‑old child.
At school, in the Computer Science class, the teacher laughs rather awkwardly when Dimitris knows something far beyond the requirements of a lesson for middle school children. At the Industrial Computer Science Festival, during his school's visit, both his teacher and his classmates took countless photos with him and uploaded them to Facebook, writing flattering words about his achievements.
The 14-year-old Dimitris realizes that at this stage of his life robotics is a very beautiful and creative hobby, but it is not enough for him to stay there. He intends, once he finishes high school, to go abroad for studies in Germany, to some large university with specialized departments of nanotechnology and robotics. The close family ties he has on his mother's side in Germany and the learning of the German language that he started a while ago are his first major assets.
In the age of crisis, Dimitris feels that he is rather privileged to be able to set goals for a professional career somewhere abroad and unfortunately not in Greece, as he says. He is not happy that he will have to abandon it and his complaint is that “in Greece there is nothing comparable and what exists at the level of tertiary education still needs great improvement”.
He sees his future somewhere outside Greece, working on the subject he loves, and his creations aiming to improve the quality of life of modern people. Indeed, he does not hide that his desire is to progress and succeed in his life so that he can, in the future, help his family as best he can.
His next goal is to participate in the 6th Industrial Informatics Festival and he already has a plan in mind that has started to work, but he does not want to reveal it. The only sure thing is that he will need a larger room!
The “identity” of the Industrial Informatics Festival
More than 3000 middle and high school students from the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace visited this year the Industrial Informatics Festival, which included a total of 47 schools with a total of 42 exhibits. The Festival is organized every year by the AMTH Technological Research Center, the AMTH TEI, with the support of the Kavala Chamber of Commerce, the AMTH Region and the Municipality of Kavala.
As he explained, speaking at the APE-MPE, the Center's director, Professor Dimitris Pogaridis, is referring to a new technologies festival that aims to highlight the dynamism of industrial information and its significant impacts on social, economic, and cultural life.
“The approach to such a serious topic», continues Mr. Pogaridis, “must have versatile characteristics to neighbor in’ a festival space people of various ages, educational levels and technological perceptions. The development of such an action gives everyone the ability to perceive the digital divide, to learn new practices and functional applications of high‑technology products so as to ease technophobia”.
Each year, the festival offers a special program of activities, aiming to provide stimuli to middle and high school students, to showcase innovative practices from the Greek scene, to give students the opportunity to present their work, and for production people to see innovative proposals, all combined with various cultural activities during the Festival.
This year's award of the Center for Technological Research for the most refined work was given to the students of TEI AMTH Panagioti Rizo and Nikoleta Michailidou for their work titled “Smart Torpedo ST14 (Smart Torpedo 2014)”. It is a model of an automatic and wire‑controlled anti‑submarine torpedo weapon, which carries a smaller torpedo, capable of confusing and striking an enemy defense system.
Source: kathimerini.gr
