Making robots to inspire!
If you were an engineer, what would you make?
That was the question for junior school pupils in Merseyside and Chesire posed by the Primary Engineer competition, partnered by Liverpool John Moores University.
And Evie Scullion, from Much Woolton Catholic Primary School in south Liverpool, came up with a brilliant answer – a robot that ‘finds’ lost children.
Useful for festivals, holiday parks and theme parks, the technology allows lost children with an identification wristband to can scan it at the robot, alerting a parent or venue staff.
'Simple and imaginative'
Evie - one of many pupils to send their ideas to LJMU – collaborated with LJMU engineers to create a prototype, of Charlotte!
“Evie's design stood out because it was simple, imaginative and left plenty of scope for creative interpretation,” explains Dr James Hartnell at LJMU’s School of Engineering.
“Her design showed a friendly robot that children could find if they became lost and easily call for help.”
LJMU technicians from Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computing, used Evie's drawing as the starting point.
The team, of Alec Robinson, Tom Byrne and Kevin Erkens, then invited her to visit the university and she excited to see how her drawing had been transformed into a real prototype. Tom even suggested that Charlotte should be the same height as Evie to make the robot seem friendlier and less intimidating for children.
Regional partner
Evie’s feat comes as LJMU was confirmed as the Merseyside and Cheshire regional partner for the nationally recognised competition for a third consecutive year.
LJMU will help schools access a fully funded programme that includes curriculum-mapped learning resources, opportunities to engage with engineering professionals and pathways to explore careers in STEM.
Denise Lee, Associate Dean for Education and Student Experience within the School, said: "We are delighted to continue our partnership with the Leaders Award for a third consecutive year. The competition provides a fantastic opportunity for young people to think creatively about the challenges facing society and to develop ideas that could make a real difference.”
We look forward to seeing the incredible ideas pupils from partnering schools bring to life this year!
Primary and secondary Schools not yet involved in this fantastic fully-funded competition can sign up here https://leadersaward.com/resource-area-registration/for fully curriculum-mapped digital teaching resources, opportunities for pupils to engage with industry professionals and more!
IMAGE: Alec, Tom and Kevin, LJMU technical team with Liverpool schoolgirl 'inventor' Evie.
