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Robot sessions aim to inspire future engineers

Kate Justicein Hereford
BBC A teenage boy in a gark green jumper with short brown hair and glassed works witha screwdriver on a small platic and metal appliance.BBC
The teenagers were tasked with following a set of instructions to build a robot from loose parts

A university hopes it has inspired some engineers of the future after showing dozens of schoolchildren how to build a robot from scratch.

The 80 students, aged from 14 to 18, took part in free robotics taster days at the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) in Hereford this week.

The university offers accelerated engineering and technology degrees and tasked the pupils with building and coding their robots.

"I've never done anything like this before and it's really interesting to see how it all comes together," Magnus, 15, said of the course.

"We've taken a bunch of bits and using the hints and instructions, we've been able to put the components in the right places and plug them all in."

A teenage boy wearing a dark green jumper and glasses stands in front of a large screen. He has short brown hair. Next to the screen is a large window. The screen is displaying an example of how a mini robot works.
Magnus said he found the taster days really interesting

With robotics not currently taught in schools, many of the teenagers taking part were new to some of the technology.

"They may have had no experience of coding or mechanical engineering or mechatronics or engineering at all," said NMITE chief executive James Newby.

"By the end of the day, they will have accomplished the building of a robot. That's pretty fantastic.

"This requires really foundational engineering, it requires mechanical engineering, it requires an understanding of electronics, of sensors and feedback and it of course requires software engineering and coding to drive the decision making that the machines have."

The taster days came amid planned changes to the school curriculum, proposed by Prime Minister Andy Burnham earlier this week, who wants schools in England to offer technical subjects to pupils from the age of 14.

The chief executive said the college saw their taster days as "an important way of starting that process".

A man in a navy shirt and jacket, wearing a turquoise lanyard smiles at the camera. He has short dark grey hair and is standing in a large foyer area in front of some signage and chairs and tables.
NMITE chief executive James Newby said working in the robotics industry required a large number of skills

Some of NMITE students were on hand on the days to offer help and support.

"I think it's a good idea to show them what it's like to do real hands-on stuff," Will Gough, a third year engineering student, said.

"University doesn't always have to be the traditional lecturer experience and it can be a lot more interactive and engaging."

A young man and a young woman are standing in a large classroom, wearing turquoise T-shirts. The man in on the left and has short blond hair, whilre the woman has shoulder length dark blond hair with blue highlights.
NMITE students Will Gough (left) and Jasmine Smith volunteered to help with the taster days

Jasmine Smith, who is in her second year and leads a drone team at the college, said there were lots of "happy kids" at the end of the day.

"I never had anything like this growing up, so this is a really good opportunity for all the young children," she added.

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