On the 9^th of May, a two-week academic visit came to an end, during which associate professor Dr Bin Zhang from Kanagawa University in Japan delivered lectures to students. He was hosted as part of the national programme for guest lecturers and academic practitioners coming to teach in the Lithuanian higher education institutions from abroad.

Dr. Zhang, an expert in artificial intelligence, robotics, and smart technologies, heads the Intelligent Machine Lab at Kanagawa University. During his stay, he gave lectures on robotics to students at the Alytus Faculty, focusing on advanced Pythonprogramming and placing particular emphasis on robot vision, related image processing, object recognition and tracking, neural networks, complex sensor systems in smart technologies, and advanced AI algorithms.

Beyond his academic engagements, Dr. Zhang took part in meetings with leaders and researchers from Kauno kolegija and Alytus faculty . He also joined various additional initiatives and showed interest in Lithuanian traditions and culture. On the 24^th of April, he attended a virtual reality screening of ‘The Creation of Worlds’ at Alytus Cultural Centre, where he learned about the life, work, and legacy of M. K. Čiurlionis. On the 29^th of April, he observed the ‘Best Young Motorist’ competition held at the Alytus Faculty and later participated in student excursions to Birštonas and the ‘Tarzanija’ adventure park.

Dr. Zhang also paid considerable attention to the international academic community. On the 5^th of May, he contributed to the Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme ‘Overcoming Cultural Issues in Patient Care: Transcultural Nursing Approach’ by giving a lecture titled ‘From Playmates to Caregivers: The Evolution of Childcare Robots’. He presented his research and achievements in innovative intelligent childcare and inclusive technology. The lecture, attended by students and lecturers of general nursing, physiotherapy, and early childhood education from Lithuania and abroad, showcased AI-driven assistant robots designed to support people with mobility, visual, and hearing impairments. He also introduced solutions for educators, including teaching assistant robots capable of teaching languages, telling stories, and evaluating each child’s performance and progress.

One particularly captivating research project aims to simulate parental behaviour in neonatal care. It involves collecting and analysing data on parental actions and emotional responses, which are then transferred to an AI-controlled robot. The goal is to develop an engineering assistant capable of caring for infants, mimicking parental movements, responding to a child’s emotions, and using human-like soothing techniques to lull the baby to sleep as efficiently as possible.

On the 7^th of May, Dr. Zhang led a roundtable discussion on ‘Inclusive Technology: From Concept to Reality in Assisting Robots’, and on the 8^th of May, he delivered an additional lecture titled ‘Perception of Fusion in Autonomous Vehicles’ to students of the Multimedia and Visual Communication, and Information Technology programmes. He shared his experience in developing autonomous driving solutions, examining how data from various sensors is integrated to enable vehicles to accurately perceive their surroundings, recognise obstacles and other road users, anticipate their behaviour, and apply innovative strategies to ensure safe and efficient driving under various conditions.

Dr. Zhang’s visit extended beyond the university setting. On the 6^th of May, he visited the Alytus nursery-kindergarten ‘Saulutė’, where he explored the specifics of Lithuanian pre-schooling education, joined a robotics session, and delivered a lecture titled ‘Artificial Intelligence-Based English Language Teaching Robots’. On the same day, at the ‘Drevinukas’ school-kindergarten, he presented advancements in robotics in education and responded to children’s questions such as, ‘Do robots’ eyes glow red at night?’, ‘What languages do robots speak?’, and ‘Do robots have emotions?’

This intensive and enriching visit once again demonstrates consistent efforts of Kauno kolegija HEI to promote internationalisation, foster innovation, and provide high-quality education grounded in global practice. It also reflects the capacity of institution to attract highly qualified professionals, encourage interdisciplinary research, support technology-driven study programmes, and build bridges for knowledge exchange across cultures, technological advancements, and educational innovations.