School students age 8–14 years have until 23 October to submit their design for the ultimate space exploring robot, since the deadline for the School Robot Competition 2020 has been extended to accommodate Year 4–9 students returning to school for the first time following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Created by the ESPRC UK-RAS Network – organiser of the annual UK Robotics Week – the competition invites schools to design extraordinary space explorer robots in teams of 3–5. Developed in partnership with educational publisher Twinkl, the contest will see participants design a robot that can navigate the cosmic surface of Mars, all while completing a range of fun-filled tasks. Classes can enter via the free Twinkl augmented reality app, or teams can design, test and submit their robot design online.
Activities fall in line with the STEM English national curriculum, boosting students’ skills in team building, science, coding, and of course robotics.
The prize package includes a MiRo-E Robot (provided by Consequential Robotics) and a 3D-printed model of their design. Additional Judge’s Choice prizes include:
- A MakeBlock mBot Ranger 3-in-1 for each member of the team (contributed by Pipebots)
- A Littlebits Space Rover Inventor Kit for every team member (contributed by Brains-on-Board)
- Lego Mindstorms robotics kit and software for your class (contributed by FAIR-SPACE)
- A robotics and AI masterclass and tour of 1,000sm Extreme Robotics Lab for your class, plus two EV3 Robot Systems (contributed by the National Centre for Nuclear Robotics)
- A Lego EV3 education kit and mat with challenges from this year’s Lego League competition (contributed by the Robotics and AI in Nuclear Hub)
Professor Robert Richardson, chair of the EPSRC UK-RAS Network, said: “Following the challenges all school communities have faced over the past few months with adapting to home and remote learning during the lockdown, we were really keen to extend the deadline for this year’s School Robot Competition to give as many students as possible the opportunity to engage with this fantastic activity. The breadth and sheer creativity of the ideas students generate for this competition is always hugely inspiring, and we’re very much looking forward to seeing what innovative designs our entrants come up with for this year’s space-themed task.”
Click here to register for the School Robot Competition 2020.
In other news: TES Global launches new professional development initiative for teachers