STEM projects have a dramatic impact on student preparedness for further learning!
In this 2016 robotics event students will have exposure to different levels of STEM robotic themes.
Some robot systems are fully constructed and require only coding and control.
Other robot systems are partially assembled and require solving mechanical design problems and coding.
All robot systems will require hands-on thinking, coding and lots of testing, so bring your best game!
All challenges, to some degree, require mechanical construction, problem solving, coding and testing.
The 3DP Walker and 3DP Robot Arm require an additional element of design using CAD and 3D printer technology.
All of these approaches provide a varied STEM educational experience and endless learning opportunities.
"3D Printer Drawprize or all students and a separate drawprize for all schools with 4+ students registered.'
"Free Public Viewing and Teacher PD opportunities available. Teachers can come and experiment with advancing robot technologies used in top international schools advancing STEM and STEAM spaces.
"Need to evaluate the number 1 educational 3D printer? Need to test it? This is a great opportunity for teachers, parents and students to evaluate a 3D printer first hand. Teams will be provided their own 3D printer for the MakerSpace robot systems."
Can I do a single day?
No, sorry. It leaves teams short on brain power. If you are doing an event that does not require a team, like Insectiod, you could miss the first day and catch up but you would be pressed for time. You need to attend Sunday to compete or be in the running for the 3d printer.
Will special foods be provided for sensitivities or allergies?
No, sorry. Students with special food requirements will need to bring them from home. We can refrigerated them for you.
Can I bring my own robot to any challenge event?
Yes of course. Some events will require the robot to incorporate very high performance servo motors, capable of lifting the robots own weight. The humanoid robots supplied are designed to do this. If you have any rover, crawler or insectiod type robot you can bring them.
Can I send my other child along to watch?
Not unsupervised. We would encourage visitors to catch up on progress over the 3 days, but we canot be responsible for any children not registered in the event.
Last year I saw some parents helping out their son/daughter. Can I do the same?
That may have occured last year but we would discourage it. Growth and learning through these types of events is maximized when students struggle and overcome their challenges on their own. This is as much a resilience exercise as it is an engineering one. We enourage individual thinking and experimenting with ideas, rather than scripting a path to success.
My daughter needs a team mate? Can you find one for her?
We will do our best. Freinds are often the best partners. Some of the more difficult challenges will require a partner, but others can easily be completed individually. Please refer to the Robot Challenges page for recommendations.
My son is only 10, but has his own programmable lego robot at home. Can he register?
Yes, but with a partner. I recommend you stay a while during the event to ensure he feels confident in the surroundings. Supervising staff are clearly marked and will be floating around to guide students. The majority of the exercise is self directed problem solving and he will need to be responsible to take that on.
Can I register and pay on the day?
Not recommended. If there is a spot then you will be welcome. Our early registrations provide an insight to numbers of t-shirts and food required. Last minute entry may miss out on the t-shirt.
I am a teacher of Science and STEM. Can I just come by and watch?
Certainly. It is an "open to public" event. (Children require supervision though.) You are welcome to come in any of the days. I will post the times the guest speakers are presenting their robot systems on the website shortly.
Two guest lecturers will be onsite with their advanced robotic systems. CSIRO will be demonstrating autonomous drone vehicles used in research and industry and the Australian International Robot Soccer Team engineer to demonstrate advanced humanoid robots.
