Computer Science and Physics students explore the future of robotics at London Youth Conference

Last Sunday, our Computer Science and Physics students attended the London Youth Robotics Conference, joining students from various schools and year groups to explore a shared passion for robotics and AI. The day opened with a keynote speech from Edith-Clare Hall, a PhD student at the University of Bristol, who is developing wearable soft robotics to assist people with neuromuscular diseases. She also shared her experiences leading humanitarian engineering projects in Papua New Guinea and co-leading Women in Robotics UK, where she has significantly grown the network and secured funding.

Afterward, students split into mixed groups to attend sessions led by companies and PhD students. Demonstrations included robotic arms from CCS Technology and QMUL, a Martian rover by the UCL Racing Team, and a dancing robot dog from Robots of London. Talks covered how robots view the world and process information using LIDAR and IMU devices. The Underwater Robotics Team from the University of Southampton delivered a presentation on deep-sea reconnaissance and data gathering using unmanned autonomous vehicles, featuring engaging practical experiments on water density. Other activities included creating Martian vehicles using a VR headset and building Lego robots to battle.

In the afternoon, we attended part of a live recording of the Robotalk podcast, hosted by Dr Clare Asher, with panel speakers from King’s College London, Imperial College London, UCL, and Ocado Technology. The speakers discussed their varied paths into robotics, from early childhood interests to unexpected career changes, and answered questions on topics like design failure, accessibility, and the need for diverse perspectives in engineering. It was an inspiring, hands-on event that left students excited about the future of robotics.

Report: Ashton Ferdinand (Year 12)