Young people are being given the opportunity to programme a life-sized robot as part of a competition being run by Aberdeen Science Centre and sponsored by Equinor.
RoboThespian is a humanoid acting robot designed by Engineered Arts Ltd, who will arrive at Aberdeen Science Centre in summer 2020.
The robot can be programmed with 10 minutes of customised content, and school pupils and members of the public are being asked for their ideas on what that content should include.
The RoboThespian competition is being sponsored by energy company Equinor, which has signed up as Aberdeen Science Centre’s Digital Futures partner to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) education and the digital transformation.
Liz Hodge, chief executive of Aberdeen Science Centre, said: “RoboThespian will be a huge talking point and a big attraction when it arrives at the centre and we are excited to have this opportunity to engage school pupils and members of the public in programming it with bespoke content.
“We will develop a script based on the best suggestions and some of the winners will also have the opportunity to record their own voices. As well as being fun and educational, the robot builds excitement around robotics and a future that is even more robotised, automated and connected.”
Equinor’s sponsorship agreement includes supporting the centre’s Code Factory programme, which aims to engage young people in coding and programming and support building these critical skills early.
Arne Gürtner, senior vice president, UK and Ireland Offshore at Equinor, said: “Digitalisation and automation are at the forefront of the evolution across both society at large and the energy industry in the transition to a low carbon future.
“This is a significant year for Equinor with the start-up of Mariner, a true digital frontrunner. As digital futures partner, we are proud to bring RoboThespian to the Aberdeen Science Centre and to increase understanding of and capabilities in digitalisation and STEM subjects.”
Aberdeen Science Centre is inviting primary pupils from P3 to P7 and secondary pupils from S1 to S6 to submit one entry per class, per school. The pupils have until December 6, to submit scripts and recordings of what they think RoboThespian should say, with the winners due to be decided on in the new year.
The winning content could include questions for RoboThespian to answer, such as “What is energy?” or tips on how to save energy, how it is transferred and what it does. Pupils will also decide on the gender and personality of the robot.
Visitors to the science centre will then use a touchscreen to prompt the robot to perform a pre-programmed sequence.
Aberdeen Science Centre is currently undergoing a major redevelopment project which will see the creation of a state-of-the-art science centre which reflects the key priorities of the STEM agenda for both industry and education.
The project will revitalise and transform the dated centre as well as expand the exhibition and corporate space.
The transformation will include an extension and creation of a new mezzanine floor – almost doubling the exhibition space – and exposing the roof structure to allow natural light to flood into the building.
The £4.7m redevelopment is being made possible by support and funding from the Inspiring Science Fund – a partnership between the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), UK Research and Innovation, Wellcome, Opportunity North East (ONE) and Aberdeen City Council.
The project has secured a further £1.5million to ensure quality of programmes and delivery to enhance the overall visitor experience at the venue and funding is ongoing for future programme and activities.
For more information, visit https://www.aberdeensciencecentre.org
RoboThespian