What is a robot? How do local companies use them and why are they useful? What does a programmer do?

In this workshop we’ll be answering these questions and thinking about how we can program robots to do what we want. We'll find out how technology has changed over time and your students will take on the role of a programmer to work out the code our floor robot needs to complete an underwater mission to inspect some subsea pipes. They will help the robot navigate its way around a map of the ocean and reach the pipes safely.

What is wind and how can we use it? 

Wind is all around us and we can use it for lots of different things. In this workshop we will explore some of the uses of wind and find out how wind turbines generate electricity before venturing out to measure wind speed around your school grounds.

Find out what coal is and why it was important. Students then work in teams to design and build a model transport system to move coal up and down a mine shaft. They will test and modify their designs before demonstrating them to the class. To finish we look at the real life solutions used in local collieries in the North East.

How do we know what we are sensing? Find out how sensory information is interpreted by our brains in our newest workshop! We will explore our senses, discover some of the ways we can trick them and how they work together.