Year 12 are inspired at MK Smart City and Robotics STEM Day

Year 12 Computing students visited the MK Smart City and Robotics STEM Day at Middleton Hall, Centre MK for a highly informative and engaging event.   The students learnt about current developments in robotics, smart city technologies, and future career pathways within STEM.  They also had the chance to ride on a driverless shuttle, which was great fun and a memorable experience for them all.  A particular highlight of the day was when two of our students, Harrison and Snehal, were interviewed by the BBC during the event, which was a fantastic experience for them, and they were a credit to the School.  All the students found visiting this innovative flagship event inspiring, as can be seen from their reflections of the day.

‘My experience of the Robotics event was entirely positive and provided me with in-depth knowledge that aided me to a obtain a better understanding of the field of robotics and AI.  One of the coolest things was speaking to the participants in the competitions about their robots, and how they operated to fit the task at hand; the interactions we had with them were very insightful, we even got to talk about if AI/robots are going to take over the world!  There were also non-competing robots, that resembled dogs and did tricks – it was very exciting.  One of the robots which caught my eye was one that could play ‘rock paper scissors’.  The robot analysed the players’ hand to determine if it was rock, paper or scissors – it was mostly a draw!   Another interesting thing was boarding the self-driving bus. It was excellent – from the explanation of how it worked to all the safety mechanisms it had in place – the sudden stops where exhilarating to be honest!   Overall, I had a great time, learned new things and saw things that I thought I would only do if from a screen.’

Bukola Owolabi – Ogbomo, Year 12

‘Our trip to the Smart City and Robotics Exhibition was an amazing experience thatcombined fun with learning.  We were amazed by the robot dogs and robot machines that could do everyday tasks like opening doors and serving food, showing us how technology is becoming more helpful in real life.  One of the most exciting parts was riding on the self-driving bus, which gave us a glimpse into a future of safe and efficient transportation.  The Smart City displays showed how innovation can improve the way we live, and the robotics demonstrations inspired us with their creativity and usefulness.  Overall, the trip was both enjoyable and eye-opening, inspiring our curiosity about how technology can shape a better future for us all.’

Synclair Varella, Year 12

‘At the Event, we got to see different kinds of robots and how they are being designed for real life, though many still need improvements before they can be used every day.  It showed me how technology is improving but also how difficult it is to make robotics fully reliable, even for simple tasks. One example of this was the self-driving bus we rode, which was interesting to experience but still had features under development, like having to switch to manual in certain cases, and it will also take time before it can be open to the public.  Overall, the trip gave me a better understanding of both the progress and challenges in robotics today.’

Ahmet Alakus, Year 12

‘I attended a robotics-focused event where I explored various careers in technology. The experience gave me an insight into fields like software engineering, AI, hardware design, and automation, and helped me understand how these roles contribute to real-world innovations.’

Yashasvi Yellapragada, Year 12

The students who attended the Event were:

Emir Abdullah Alakus, Ahmet Alakus, Aimar Cardenas Damonte, Travis Chung, Harrison Dangerfield, Erezi Imieka, Sacha Kraev, Koby Kuzminski, Marvelous Oare, Daniel O’Rourke, Bukola Owolabi – Ogbomo, Snehal Sharma, Synclair Varella, Yashasvi Yellapragada