TV robots head to Aston University to do battle
Published: 13 November, 2024
To coincide with National Engineering Day, Aston University has announced it is letting the robots take over.
On Wednesday 13 November, members of the team that built some of the bots for the TV series Robot Wars will be on campus to share their knowledge and expertise with students and staff.
‘Robot Wars - Meet the Makers' is being organised by the University’s Design Factory Birmingham, which is part of a global network of design and digital consultancies and shares its expertise in areas such as 3D printing to boost the local economy.
The BBC and Channel 5 programme, which aired from 1998 to 2004 and then from 2016, to 2018 involved teams of amateur and professional roboteers operating remote controlled bots to fight against each other in an arena.
Paul Gretton, Senior Project Manager of Design Factory Birmingham, said: “Whether students are fans of engineering marvels or just love the TV show, this event will hopefully spark ideas and inspire students and make it a really exciting and interesting one!
“We’re also providing the opportunity to interact with the robots, learn how they are made and find out more about our upcoming ‘Robo Challenge' in 2025 a challenge between colleges and universities.
“Of course, there is a more serious side to the visit as the exchange of ideas and innovation will help contribute to the University’s ambition to be recognised as a leader in science and technology innovation, driving socio-economic transformation in our city and region.”
The event is on National Engineering Day, which aims to make engineering and the UK’s engineers more visible by celebrating how they improve everyday lives and shape the world around us.
Aston University’s engineering research and courses are based at its College of Engineering and Physical Science. In 2022 it achieved Athena SWAN charter gold status, an award that was set up to help women advance their careers in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) in higher education and research.
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