From September 10–12, 2025, our research group had the opportunity to take part in the International Conference on Social Robotics + AI (ICSR 2025), hosted in Naples, Italy. The conference theme, “Emotivation at the Core: Empowering Social Robots to Inspire and Connect,” set the stage for three days of insightful discussions, presentations, and collaborations on the future of social robotics.
On September 4th, the IT Didactics Research Group at the IT College of Tallinn University of Technology welcomed a delegation of professors from leading European universities. The visiting group included:
• Prof. Zsolt Lavicza and Dr. Filiz Mumcu from Johannes Kepler University Linz (Austria)
• Prof. Piedad Tolmos, Prof. Luis Pastor (Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid), and Prof. José Francisco Ramos (Jaume I University, Valencia) from Spain,
• Dr. Cristina Popescu from University of Bielefeld (Germany)
Still hard to believe, but it actually happened: our robots shared the stage with the President of Estonia!
On September 1st, during President Alar Karis’s speech marking the beginning of the new school year, our Telepresence Robots and Robot Assistants Lab had the honor of supporting this special occasion.
At the recent IT Teachers’ Summer School, we explored how robot assistants can support learning and teaching in school environments. The workshop focused on sharing practical experiences and demonstrating real-life use cases where robotic tools can make education more inclusive and efficient.
When you think of global education leaders, places like Finland or Singapore often come to mind. But quietly and consistently, Estonia has been outshining many of its European neighbors—and even the world. Janika Leoste—Assistant Professor of IT Didactics at Tallinn University of Technology, and head of the IT Didactics research group—recently shared insights into what makes Estonia’s educational success so effective. And spoiler: it’s not about banning smartphones or endless testing.
The annual attestation is a key milestone in every doctoral student’s journey. It provides an opportunity to reflect on academic progress, receive valuable feedback, and define clear next steps. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all doctoral students who participated this year – and special recognition to those who successfully passed the evaluation!