Bio-Inspired Robotics Summer School for Girls

A summer school to 24 Year 12 girls studying STEM subjects.

In the near future robots will help us to explore the oceans and outer space, carry out complex surgery, build our towns and cities and care for the vulnerable. Today’s scientists are using ideas drawn from nature to create the new generation of robots needed for these tasks. The animal world has many examples of specially adapted design that a robot can mimic. From bees and butterflies in your backyard, to creatures in the sea and sky, cutting-edge robotic research draws inspiration from nature to design a whole new class of smart robotic devices. An elephant’s trunk is a highly sensitive mobile gripper, a bat uses sonar to “hear” its environment, termites and bees work in teams to build their extraordinary homes.

UK robotics innovation is taking centre stage this summer, with the announcement of a nationwide programme of exciting events for the first ever UK Robotics Week (25 June – 1 July 2016). As part of the week-long celebrations for UK National Robotics Week at UCL, the Department of Computer Science at UCL lead by Professor Steve Hailes and Dr Rae Harbird will be offering a bio-inspired summer school for Year 12 girls from London schools. Use your creativity and ingenuity to design and build robots that can jump, walk and slither.

During the summer school, you will have the opportunity to learn from world-leading experts in the field of robotics from academia and industry, enabling you to think about issues around functionality, autonomy, intelligence, control and structures of bio-inspired robots and experiment with materials, sensors and tools. Teach your robot to navigate through its environment and cooperate with other robots to achieve a common goal, move and adapt like living creatures and harness the power of self-organisation.

Further information

We will be offering places on the summer school to 24 Year 12 girls studying STEM subjects with an interest in engineering, coding and technology.